Celebrity Apprentice
by ZombiesloveMangoes
Summary: They live to play. They play to win. They win to survive. Who will win? They are on teams, but who are they really out for? OUAT AU new and improved summary.
1. Teams

**Don't ask how I got this idea I just (watching the show) I thought it would be a great sort of story for these characters. If you have any comments for projects or winners (say who you think should win in your review and I'll take a tally) or anything that is outside my realm or the realm of story characters just go ahead and leave me a blip in the review box at the end of this and I will see what you got and hopefully get it in here. Thank you, enjoy.**

The Cadillac pulled up the the curb and the sun blared into the dark interior. A black cane to coincide with the black Cadillac was the first to distinguish the character. He then followed out of the car into the New York sidewalk. His round sunglasses shielded his face. The driver shut the door behind him and Gold looked up at Trump Tower. He accepted this for Bae and he was going to win this for Bae. He began to walk to the inside of the building.

Belle walked hurried through the crowded streets of New York. She held her bags close to her and the heat beat down on her back. She could feel sweat begin to break out on her forehead. She was going to have to fix her make up before she arrived. _They had a bathroom didn't they? _She was nervous and began to doubt herself. She thanked the doorman as he opened the door. A weary smile was all he gave her in return. She assumed it was her appearance and she dodged her way through the stream of people to the bathroom. She finally arrived and decided to get started on retouching her makeup.

After the long flight from L.A. Regina was dead on her feet. She wouldn't show it though. She had managed to snatch herself a list of the competitors. She had only heard of a few of them. One name that jumped out at her at first was Mr. Gold. She knew him from her mother. She didn't give the details, but her mother said to be weary of this man and always stay on your toes. She hoped she wasn't on his team and yet she wanted him to be on her side. From what her mother had said he has a way with words that has made him famous among American people. Regina made her way into the tower and took her glasses off. She replaced them on her head. She walked to the bathroom. The wind was ruthless today. She noticed a petite woman with long, brown hair and a powder blue dress on. As she passed in the mirror she saw her face. Belle French. She remembered her from the list. She was one of the worlds most sought after florist. She had even done Regina's wedding.

"Belle?" She looked up from her mascara and smiled brightly.

"Regina." She put the brush back in its container. "How's the hubby?" Regina began her own touch ups.

"Well, he's at home for sure. Probably heading out to the country to have a nice relaxing next few weeks." Belle could tell Regina had the thought in her mind that she was going to be here for a long time. Belle smiled with her mouth closed and nodded.

"I wish you luck and I'll see you at the penthouse." Regina nodded and continued to fix her blush.

Ruby was never one to turn down an invitation to win money. It would ruin her party girl reputation. She stepped into the lobby and smiled her way through a path to get to the floors above. She had never thought she would be here in the Trump Tower. But she believed that dreams really do come true. As she turned to move through the crowd she bumped into someone. They bounced off of each other and as soon as their apologies were about to be said they began to scream. Everyone around them began to clear out.

"Oh my god!" They hugged each other.

"Mary Margaret it is so good to see you." They hugged again and linked their arms together.

"Ruby, I would never have guessed you would be up for this." They began to walk.

"Mary, how long have you known me? A great chance for some cash for my charity? You know how the ASPCA is now a days." Mary Margaret nodded and laughed.

"So what have you been up to lately?" They continued to walk and talk to the elevator.

David paid the taxi driver giving a little extra in the wad.

"Thank you sir." The Indian man called from the window and hurried off. David waved his hands and held his bags close to him. He was breathing deeply when he walked into the air conditioned lobby. The hustle and bustle of the city began to die down. He never liked the city. He was always content with his upstate house and nothing, but the green pastures around him. He brushed a stray piece of straw out of his hair and hurried to the stairs. The line for the elevator was still so long. He began his trek up the stairs.

Belle arrived at the meeting area and saw she was early. She was always worried she was late. She saw someone sitting in a chair as she approached. She felt the tension in the air rise and wondered if it was just her. Soon they stood and turned around to face her. She stared at him dumbfounded then gained her composure. She smiled and held out her hand. He accepted it graciously. "I'm Belle French." He let go of her hand and nodded briskly.

"Gold." He said as if that was enough to identify him. It was to her, but to others it would be a confusing start to the introduction. Her smile widened.

"Mr. Gold. I am glad to finally meet you." She chuckled a little nervously. "And we aren't in court." He nodded with a glint of amusement in his eye. It was darkened before it could be noticed.

"Although the boardroom might feel like it once we get in there." He gestured behind him to the twelve seats. She smiled again and held the sides of her dress. She continued to the chair next to him and was glad that there wouldn't be too much awkward tension as people trickled in. First Regina, Belle noticed that Mr. Gold didn't stand up to greet her. Next came Ruby and Mary Margaret. They saw Belle and screamed. Belle could see out of the corner of her eye Mr. Gold grow tense and put a hand on his head leaning against the arm of the chair. Belle barely had enough time to stand up before they tackle hugged her. They laughed and let her go. Eventually as they talked Mary Margaret saw David walk in. Ruby and Belle saw it too and couldn't help, but nudge her a bit.

"Who's that?" They whispered to her.

"David Nolan. He owns most of the zoos in America and is improving them to the max. He's gotten a few rewards for it." They chuckled as he sat down at the empty end of the circle of chairs. Belle spun a finger around next to her head whilst she whistled lowly. They laughed quietly.

"I'm kidding of course Mary, that's great. And it helps that he's kinda cute." Mary Margaret looked over at them with a gaping mouth. She smacked their arms playfully.

"You two are horrid." She turned her back to them and crossed her arms. They continued to giggle despite Belle noticing Mary glancing over at David. They continued to talk amongst themselves.

"Rumor has it that Mr. Hatter will be here." Belle tilted her head slightly.

"Looks like we'll find out soon enough." Belle knew how much Ruby loves Jefferson. She also loves his clothes. She always has his designs on. Now Belle could spot the shirt and his design on her pants.

"Oh he'll be here." Belle looked up at Gold. He was looking through the slots in his fingers as he rested his head on his hand that was supported by the arm rest.

"Oh?" She said it to suggest he should go on.

"He's a…." He gave a sinister smirk. "Dear friend, if you will." She smiled at him.

"Thank you." He was startled by the gesture. She looked back at Ruby. Ruby was staring at Gold as if she knew him, but couldn't figure it out. "That's Mr. Gold." Belle whispered. Ruby snapped her fingers and smiled.

"That's how I know him." Regina was a little taken aback at the woman's enthusiasm. She pointed a finger at him. "You worked that case – oh what was it – Hat Case." She beamed. He removed his hand and leaned back nodding. His face was a mixture of worry and caution. Belle remembered the case vividly. Ruby made her watch the whole thing. Twice. Apparently Jefferson was 'stealing' ideas from a competitor. Without the evidence to prove it he walked away, but the company took him to court again this time for accusations against his entire business. They lost again, but refused to go down without a fight. Mr. Gold was Jefferson's lawyer. Finally they looked around and noticed everyone was there. Mr. Trump walked out of one of the rooms and everyone stood up. Ruby looked through the crowd of twelve and squeaked. A tall hat poked out of the group and she grabbed Belle's arm in a vice grip. She began to speak in hushed hisses to get Ruby to let go. Finally she had calmed down enough to let the flesh on Belle's arm live to see another day on her body. She sidestepped and ran into someone. She took a deep breath to make a longwinded apology. He looked down with squinted eyes.

"So sorry Mr. Gold." His nose twitched in acknowledgment.

"I can't help, but notice you are still awfully close." She felt her heart drop and noticed she indeed was intruding on his personal space.

"Sorry." She blushed and stepped away. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and shuffled her feet. He smirked, but she couldn't see him. Ruby looked over with a questioning look. Belle shrugged and tried to hide the blush. Mr. Trump cleared his throat and Belle could barely see Ivanka and Don next to him. She even had heels on. How tall were these people? She took a deep breath and could still smell Mr. Gold's spicy cologne – or was it his aftershave – in her nostrils. She tried to focus on the words reaching back at her from Mr. Trump.

"I'm glad to see all of you have gotten yourself acquainted with each other." There were murmurs of replies. "Good. Today we will focus on the teams. You will meet your teammates. You will come up with a name, and then," He took a break to add suspense. "You will have your first task and one of you _will _be fired." Belle took it as a threat, but decided to hide her unease. He nodded his head and left. Ivanka and Donald Jr. looked over the group of people.

"Alright, the groups will be selected at random by the two people who arrived last. We have had a doorman at the watch and Leroy," A stout man with a salt and pepper beard stepped forward. "And Nova." Whispers were shared among the group as the two group leaders stepped forward. Belle recognized Nova as a European pop star, but Leroy was unbeknownst to her.

"He's an actor." An accent voice whispered into her ear. She looked sideways as he straightened himself. He put both of his hands on his cane and continued as though he hadn't just let some of his personality slip. Now that he stepped up Belle could see his features more clearly. Don reached around and grabbed a hat.

"In this hat is every one's names, minus of course the two sitting up here," He gestured behind him. He held it up and Jefferson's head popped up to get a cleared look at it. He was mumbling, but it wasn't audible to her ears. Don turned around and sat the hat between them. "Ladies first." Leroy nodded with a shrug. Every one waited in suspense as Nova reached in and grabbed the first name.

"Ruby Lucas." Ruby waved to Belle and Belle gave her thumbs up. Leroy's turn.

"Graham Hunter." Someone giggled in the crowd as he walked up. The perpetrator has yet to be identified. Nova.

"Regina Queen." Another giggle, but this one more masculine. Obviously a mock to the previous giggle. Don gave a piercing glare and no one giggled after that. Leroy.

"Roland Gold." He grimaced at his name and Belle was probably the only one who saw it. He went back to emotionless as a crowd parted for him. Nova.

"Ashley Glass." Nova's accent lilted over the vowels and made Ashley cringe. She walked up anyways. Leroy.

"David Nolan." There was an audible sigh from the crowd. Belle looked over to Mary Margaret who was trying to hide her blush. Nova.

"Mary Margaret White." The content sigh was replaced with a clipped noise. Belle eyed Mary from her position and she couldn't help that they traveled to Gold. She hurried to look away not to cause offense. Leroy.

"Belle French." She inwardly groaned, but smiled as she walked up to the lifted area. Ruby leaned back and mouths something to Belle. Belle never learned to read lips. Nova.

"Emma Swan." There was whispering among the girls as the legendary FBI agent stood on the podium with her team. Leroy.

"Jefferson Madden." Belle could already feel Ruby's penetrating glare on her back.

"I'd like to be called Hatter." He beamed and Don, Ivanka, Nova, and Leroy stared at him. Don nodded whilst Leroy shrugged.

"It will be arranged." Ivanka smirked and went back to her placid demure. Nova.

"Gretchen Deitch." Her name was almost as hard as Ashley's for the young pop star. Leroy.

"Killian Jones." A man with an ear piercing walked up and wedged himself between Belle and David. He winked at Belle.

"I'm sorry; I don't think David swings that way." A snort came from Mr. Gold, but was soon silenced. Killian was taken aback. Nova proceeded without hesitation.

"Dawn Moore." She walked up elegantly to the podium and smiled at her team. A few of them were uneasy; Belle could tell. Leroy.

"And finally," He reached the last name into the hat despite being only one person left. "Hans Zimmer." The man, Belle was having a hard time telling how old he was, walked up to the stage and Don and Ivanka glanced at the teams.

"Now that your teams are assembled your penthouses are ready to be occupied." Don waved his hand towards a door to the right and Nova's team went first. Ruby had a pleading look on her face when she passed by. She mouthed something again and Belle could interpret this one. _I'm sorry._ Finally it was Leroy's team to go and they shuffled out of the room. They marched to a door with a cloudy glass pane. Soon their name would be on there and it would stay until the end. It better be good. Belle looked around at the penthouse and hummed under her breath. She had been in penthouses, what with her profession, but she loved how she could decorate it and change it, but also keeps the original designers ideal. She went first to the windows – which looked out over the street, on the highest floor of the tower - she could see over the top of many of the skyscrapers around them. She stayed there until David was in the reflection of the mirror.

"We thought it would be good to start coming up with our team name now." She smiled and turned around.

"Yes sorry." She grabbed the sides of her dress and made fists. She walked over to the table and all eyes were on her. Each with a different expression. She sat between Jefferson and Leroy.

"Alright, what is our main focus?" Leroy started to speak to the group. They all sat thinking.

"Giving." All eyes were on David now.

"Hmmm? Let's try deeper." Belle suggested. They all began to think again.

"Action." A smooth voice entered the conversation for what seemed like the first time in ages. They all began to think.

"Action." Belle tried it out. "Action towards our cause. It can take eight," She motioned around the table. "Or one." She pointed to herself. "Actions speak louder than words." They all nodded convinced.

"Team Action?" Killian spoke up. "Any other suggestions?" They all shook their heads. "Alright all in favor of Team Action say aye." A chorus of 'aye's' arose from the group.

"Well that's one task done." David huffed. He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and Leroy wrote down our name.

"What do you think the task is?" Belle asked more to herself.

"Could be anything. So keep an open mind." Hans spoke up for the first time and Belle was surprised at how deep his voice was. She nodded and noticed Leroy was still writing. She decided not to say anything. Soon the pad of paper was being passed to Belle. She looked down and grabbed the pen from the top. She saw there was a question at the top. Directions were on the side. _Answer the question then write a new one and pass it on. _The question read. _Where does your creativity flourish? _Belle smirked and began to write on the page. _Design. I can see things from different points of views often times making marvelous works of art. It comes in handy when we have an artsy project. _She tapped the pen on her chin thinking of a question. She got one and wrote it down. She passed the pad of paper to Hatter. His eyes lit up and hurried out his response in his messy handwriting. She made sure not to look, for that was rude. She saw out of the corner of her eye, though he passed it along. Hans looked at it suspiciously and gingerly began to write. He finished and passed it to Killian. After the note pad was passed around the whole table it came back to Leroy. He read over the entries and passed it to Belle. She began to read what everyone put. One stood out to her. _Favorite past time? _She counted the people and saw the person who replied was Gold. Calling him Roland seemed improper. _Reading. Often hours on end_. She felt something flutter in her chest as she realized someone else shared her love for books. She passed the booklet to Jefferson and the pattern continued as before. She looked out of the corner of her eye and noticed Gold's hands were unadorned. Besides an opal ring that was a brilliant blue when the sun glistened off of it, he had no other rings on. That meant no wife. Or fiancée. Belle wondered how she got on this and gently shook her head to clear her thoughts. As David read the last entry Ivanka walked in and smiled. Everyone stood up except Mr. Gold, which Belle assumed was acceptable with his leg. Or maybe it was his knee. Ankle? She couldn't tell.

"Have we come up with a name yet?" Leroy nodded and stepped forward. Someone stepped out from behind Ivanka and had a pen at ready.

"Action. Team Action." Ivanka nodded with a smirk.

"I hope your name helps you with your challenge today." The girl behind her had already written down the name and left. "You will have ten minutes of relaxation time before the next challenge is to start." Without another word she turned around and exited. The tension in the room calmed down and it wasn't as oppressive. Killian walked over thinking he could try again. Belle hid her annoyance and smiled at him.

"I never got to introduce myself." He grabbed her hand rather forcibly. He lent down and kissed the knuckles. She repressed the shiver that corded down her spine. "The name's Killian Jones." She took her hand back resisting the urge to wipe her hand on her dress.

"I can't say I've heard of you." Her statement hurt his ego, she could tell.

"That's not common. Have you ever heard of Hook Speedboats?" She shook her head indicating she hadn't. "Well I am the owner of the company. Many celebrities have them." She couldn't help, but look around and notice no one was nodding in agreement. She tried backing away, but she hit a chair and decided to play off of it; sitting down.

"Well I don't do boats." He smirked and she hid the cringe. It wasn't that he wasn't attractive; he was just forceful and looked like he was someone who always got their way. One way or another.

"Ah, but if you ever feel like learning I am in the area." She suppressed the groan of distaste.

"Keep it in your pants, Killian." His head shot away from Belle and over to her savior. Gold had his head in his hand again and his eyes closed. She wished he would have seen her silent thank you.

"Mr. Gold. I didn't know you were the jealous type." A hiss of air escaped Mr. Gold's teeth, but he composed himself.

"I wasn't looking out for me. I was worried that you might be letting David think you aren't interested in him." At the sound of his name he spun around from his conversation with Hatter. Hatter looked like he was enjoying this and put his head in his hands. His hat sat precariously on his head. Although he was called Hatter he looked more like the Cheshire Cat. Killian clenched his fists and whipped around. David continued to stare at the two wondering what his name had to do with the conversation. Belle waved him off and with a suspicious glance between them he went back to talking to Hatter. Killian gave her one last greasy smile and she instantly felt herself want to cross the room to sit next to Mr. Gold. She smiled falsely at him instead and waited for him to leave before she breathed again. She looked over at Gold and sighed softly, thanking him with her eyes. He blinked as if to acknowledge her. She stood up and moved over to look around. Hans was sitting alone and decided to strike up conversation. It couldn't hurt to get to know her team. She sat down across from him and his eyes stared at her vacantly.

"Hi, Belle." She smiled and held out her hand. It was the only way she could think to start conversation.

"Hans." He shook her hand and she smiled sincerely when she his eyes seemed to focus on her. She took her hand back after a respectable time.

"So what do you do, Hans?" She asked it nicely hopefully not to offend.

"I'm a writer." Her interests perked. Of course his name sounded familiar.

"Oh yes!" She was afraid she was a little too animated. "You wrote _Lost Souls _and _Woods of the Forgotten._" He nodded.

"I am glad to hear you are a fan." He was calm. She smiled.

"I often find myself with a lot of time on my hands when I am going from wedding to wedding." She put her hands on the table. "I love the realism of the characters in _Woods of the Forgotten_. I am sad they died though." His eyebrow quirked up.

"You're the first person to say that. I left it open for interpretation, but everyone thinks they made it, or they are in heaven." She shook her head.

"I've never had a happy ending, so I don't delve in the possibility of them being true. It ended with the imagination being prodded for a logical reason for what happened to them." He distorted his face in thought.

"Interesting." He grabbed a pen and paper out of his pocket. He wrote down on it and hurried to hide it. She decided not to pry. "And, I don't mean to offend, what is it you do?" She didn't recognize him, so she thought it was only fair.

"Oh I am a florist. I do many occasions. Most of them weddings. I was in a few magazines. A lot of people from other countries call on me." She tried to be modest.

"French Florist, didn't you do the prince's wedding?" She nodded and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"It was a lucky draw." He snorted. She saw him writing again in the notepad.

"I doubt it. I have seen your work. You are something of a miracle worker. I should talk to some people and get you your own TV show." She blushed.

"That won't be necessary. I'm terrible on camera anyways." She chuckled.

"And yet you accepted Mr. Trump's invitation." He tapped the pen to his chin and jot down something.

"Are you documenting me, Hans?" She couldn't help the question.

"Oh, no. You just would be fun to write. Modest, yet you acknowledge your accomplishments. Hidden, and yet readable like a book." She scoffed. Then realization sank in.

"Am I really?" Her voice was a little high. He laughed and she found it was more lovely than Killian's.

"You are many things, Miss French." He left it at that and she could see his fingers dancing and twitching over the table. She recognized the look. It was the same one she had when she was in desperate need of a book, a piece of drawing paper, or a new assignment. She looked at his notepad and saw it was on its last page.

"I'll be right back." She held up a finger and she whipped around. She began to scan the room for a notebook. She spotted one, but it was near Killian and she groaned not wanting to go anywhere near him. She prayed there was some other one somewhere. A tap on her shoulder told her that someone was behind her. From the spicy scent that drifted into her nose she knew it was Mr. Gold. She turned around, her dress fanned out at the speed of the motion. He had a spiral notebook in his hand. She smiled and took it from him graciously. "Thank you, Mr. Gold." He nodded unfazed by the exchange. She went back over to Hans. She sat down and she couldn't help but notice he watched her as she did so. She passed the book to her. "It's not much, but I know that I-need-a-paper-and-pen-right-now look." His eyes twinkled and mumbled a thank you before he began to write in hurriedly in the book. She had no doubt he would fill it up. She stood up not wanting to disturb him further and sighed. How long was ten minutes? As she thought this Don Jr. walked in and told them they had to be in the lobby right away. She watched Hans out of the corner of her eye as he continued to scribble in the notebook as he walked blindly outside. Belle waited until everyone left before she scanned the room and left. Her team shuffled into the elevator and she was glad they were huge. They all fit with enough room. She hid her distaste as she was placed beside Killian. She smiled and stepped in before the doors could close. Everyone was mostly silent except for the few whispers around her. As she watched the numbers countdown she ticked off the seconds in her head. At about the twentieth level Killian was at it again.

"I couldn't help but over hear you said you liked books." Someone groaned at his pass. "I fancy a book every once in a while as well." She sighed. She looked over at him with a smile.

"I'm sorry Killian, but I don't read pictures book, except to children." There was a chorus of laughter. He seemed flustered, but eager to try again. He was persistent she'll give him that.

"I think you underestimate me, Belle." She cringed at the way he said her name. She had only really liked it when Gold said it. And she found herself reeling her imagination back in to the now. "My reading genres are a little….scandalous to say the best." He got closer and she moved into the person next to her. Hatter beamed down at her and she wondered if he ever stopped smiling.

"I'm afraid I must inform you that just because you read books without covers on them, it doesn't qualify them quote on quote 'scandalous'." She straightened her dress. He pressed closer thinking her mindset would change if he smothered her. Chortles from all around. Hatter put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She thanked him for his support.

"Oh I think you'll find my interests _very _scandalous." She felt something on her lower back then reach down to grab her ass. She squeaked and unconsciously turned to lay the encroaching man out. He fell to the floor of the elevator in a pain groan. Blood trickled out of his nose.

Ruby sat waiting for the elevator Belle was on to arrive. She did not except what she saw when the door did open. Belle stood, ruffled and slightly bristled, with her arm pulled back in a punch and the men around her laughing. Hatter was bent over on the wall gasping for breath. A few men were wiping tears from their eyes. She even saw Gold sniggering. He used his cane to support himself. Killian was on the ground groaning and holding his face. The pictures clicked together and Ruby burst out laughing. Belle realized the doors opened and stepped out straightening her dress. She stepped out hurriedly and someone ran in to check on Killian. Everyone else made their way out of the elevator. Her team stood behind her and Ruby saw the red creep up in her cheeks. Hatter leaned in to whisper in her ear after he had gained his breath. Belle nodded stiffly. He roared with laughter again. When Mr. Trump stepped over to see what the commotion was everyone silenced themselves. He looked at Killian.

"What happened?" He looked more interested then mad. Four exclamations were shouted at once.

"He tripped."

"He hit the elevator doors."

"He's a klutz."

"Mr. Gold hit him with has cane." Mr. Trump looked at Mr. Gold. Both of their faces impassive. She felt pride swell in her team. She didn't completely know the rules of the game, but knocking out her team member probably wasn't one often condoned.

"Get him fixed up and have him ready for the task." One of his workers nodded and soon there were two to take the injured man away. Mr. Trump walked back over to where he was before.

"I'll hit you with my cane." Mr. Gold grumbled. To who? She didn't know.

"Why just have Belle hit them." She felt her face flush as they chuckled and walked to meet Mr. Trump. Once they were all assembled, minus Killian, Mr. Trump began to speak.

"When you aren't working you are relaxing. It's true. People find relaxation in many forms." Belle tried to think of the ways this could go. "Touch of Class tries to bring that relaxation to your comforters. Adam Langid and Stark Riley are the CEO's of Touch of Class. They make the sheets you probably all sleep on." Belle tilted her head. She had money yes, but she never indulged in that aspect of life. She believed money couldn't buy happiness. "Your task will be to make a photo shoot of their product. You will be showing these photos at their upcoming company fundraiser and the team that creates the most creative and money raising photos wins. I'll let the CEO's talk now since they know what they want." He stepped back and let Adam and Stark step forward.

"We want something eye popping. We will have two locations one for each team. We want fifteen photos and one centerpiece photo. We also want a slogan. We have six different types of sheets, comforters, shams, fitteds, pillow cases, and mattress pads. We are looking for creativity, diversity, color, and most of all main focus on the varieties of our product." Adam said. Stark handed papers to all of the team members on both teams. Belle looked at her paper and marveled over the great designs. She thought it was pretty smart on their part that they didn't have prices.

"Now that everyone has heard the task. Choose your project manager." Each team huddled together. Their team looked around at each other. Hatter looked the most excited.

"If I may?" He smiled. Leroy shrugged.

"If you want to." Hatter nodded and they broke up. Ruby's team was still debating. After another minute they decided.

"Team Action. Your Project Manager?" All eyes were on their team.

"Me." Hatter stepped forward beaming. Trump nodded. He turned to the other team.

"And Team X?" Whispers among her team flew around in Belle's ears. _"Team X?" _Belle understood. "_They're all female. X stands for X chromosomes." _They all nodded in understanding.

"Me." Dawn stepped forward. Mr. Trump nodded.

"Then go back to your penthouses. One of the CEOs will be with you after a while." He shooed them off and after stepping into a now bleach smelling elevator Belle let of the breath she didn't know she was holding. This was going to be fun.

**Hey guys so how did you like it again I would be grateful for the suggestions really I love them and reviews oh and one more thing please don't favorite without a review THANK YOU for reading**


	2. Models

**Okay so since you don't know the rules or aren't familiar with them the object of the game is to win money. For charity of course. Each celebrity has a charity that they are closest to like Mr. Gold I made support and give money to St. Judes (the irony will have to be spotted in all of the charities they're pretty funny) or Ruby for ASPCA they are given tasks by Mr. Trump. He has helpers as well. Ivanka (his daughter) Don Jr. (His son) and sometimes winners from other seasons like Piers Morgan or Bret Michaels. One team wins the task it focuses on a number of things I just chose some for the story. Once in the boardroom Mr. Trump announces the winner. Someone from the losing side is hence fired making it easier with each week for someone to win the grand prize which I think is a million dollars I have to check again I'm pretty sure and it all goes to charity I hope that helped if it didn't go to and type in the search 'Celebrity Apprentice' click the first one and just scroll through until you find the synopsis it explains it better than I**

Upon arriving back at the penthouse Killian was already sitting at the table. He had toilet paper in one nostril and a bandage on the bridge of his nose. She felt bad about it and debated apologizing.

"Don't give him sympathy. He'll use it as a pick up line." Mr. Gold said in her ear as he passed her. She couldn't resist the smirk. She sat on the opposite side of him in between Hans and Graham. She heard the whispering of David explaining the task to Killian.

"Alright does anybody have any ideas?" Hatter started. A few people nodded. They went around in a circle.

"What if we had different beds? One fancy, one kinda dingy, you know something like that? It would show that you can relax with class on whatever you sleep on." Leroy suggested. Hatter nodded and jotted it down.

"They said diversity. How about we have different people on beds. And to show the different sleep types because I doubt we all sleep like princesses." Graham, Gold, Leroy, and David raised their hand. "Alright ladies, you can all cuddle together." Hans smirked. They made the precaution of making space for themselves away from each other. Hatter smiled.

"Let's see; creativity, diversity, and branding. How about with each person or pair of people – who says it should be restricted to straight people – we change the theme for each person's own style. Like I know some people who like a lot of pillows, or someone who likes just one blanket. It shows the combinations of the bedding." Belle suggested and every one chewed on her words. With her being the last person Hatter wrote again on a piece of paper.

"Alright. Let's get these jobs dignified. We need different beds so that it goes along with the diversity idea." Belle noticed the large table with all of the products on them. "We need costumes for the idea of different people therefore different sleeping styles. And we need someone for slogan and editing photos." Hans raised his hand.

"I can get slogan and photo's done." Hatter nodded.

"We need one more person. Oh and we need to design the beds. That's four jobs for two people a job. Share the responsibility." David raised his hand.

"I'll go shopping for the costumes. What kind of people are we thinking about?"

"Business men, surfers, single moms, the American standard." David nodded. People began to get the idea.

"I'll design the beds." Belle jumped at the offer. Everyone soon had a job. Belle was working with Hatter.

"We will take the sixteen photos then decide on the best and make it our centerpiece." They all nodded. Soon the door opened and Stark walked in. David offered the CEO a chair.

"So how are you guys doing?" They all nodded.

"Good, we are thinking this is going to be fun." Hatter beamed. The CEO nodded.

"We are really looking for our brand in this. We want people to see how – although it is bedding – it can is a major part of your life. We want the American people to relate to these photos and enjoy want to see for themselves how great these covers are." He passed out a sample to everyone and Belle liked the soft texture. The color was a welcoming blue.

"You said diversity, to show the American people," He nodded so Bell pressed on. "What range of diversity are we talking about? As in race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation?" She dared the question. He smiled.

"America has grown in the past few years. More things are becoming accepted in this country. Whatever you think will get a reaction from the people then go for it." She hid her smile behind the cloth as she ran it between her fingers. He stood up shaking every one's hand. "If that is all…?" When no one spoke up he left.

"Alright we need models." Hatter sounded a little too excited about that. Belle raised her hand. Gold, Leroy, David, and Killian raised their hands as well. "Who wants to be the same sex models?" Their reluctance was immediate. "All you have to do is share a bed." Hatter rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'm asking you to get married." Reluctantly Graham and Hans raised their hands. Hatter was having too much fun with this. "Alright let's get done today what we can, so we don't have as much to do tomorrow. Gold and David go shopping for the costumes. Killian and Leroy go get the beds. Make sure when they deliver them to the studio they set them up as well." The four stood up to leave. "Oh oh, get a hammock." He pointed the pen at Leroy. "I want a hammock." Belle chuckled. This man was going to be a handful. Hans moved to sit by Graham. They began to work on the slogan. Hatter looked over at Belle. "Shall we get these beds made?" She laughed and nodded. They walked over to the large table.

"How about we just get the designs in order and separated then we can put them on the beds tomorrow." He nodded.

"Sounds great." They began to pick through the mass of beds. After ten minutes Belle called over her shoulder to Hans.

"Hans, do you think it would be a good idea to name what we're using in the corner or something on the photos. So people aren't wondering why there's looks so much different than our photo." Hans tapped the pen to his chin.

"I think we could do that. Have it at the bottom so people can see it and know." They began to work again.

Gold sat in the van and listened to David ramble off costumes.

"Sixteen shoots. Do you think all of them should have people?" Gold stared at the man on the other side of the seat.

"Are you suggesting that we take photos of the bed to show just the style of beds and such?" David nodded. "It would be a good idea. It shows just the product to get the brand to stand out." They pulled up to the costume store. David pulled out his phone. He called Hatter.

"Hatter. It's David." He put the phone on speaker. "We were thinking that not all of the shots have to have models." They stopped so they could talk.

"You mean have the brand messaging apparent with just the bed?" There was silence except for a feminine voice talking it over.

"I think that would be good. Get ten outfits. The other six photos will be the product itself."

"Alright thanks for clearing that up." They made noises of saying they heard – obviously wrapped up in their job – and hung up. David put his phone away. He looked at Gold. "So you get five and I'll get five?" He suggested. Gold nodded. They walked in together, but separated after seeing something that caught their eyes.

It was going well until Gold was faced with having to find something for Belle. He debated calling her. After staring at the pants for ten minutes he pulled out his phone and called her. It rung a few times before she answered. There was the sound of plastic and a hum of a hello.

"What size pants do you wear?" There was silence on the other end as he waited.

"Umm? Why?" She had forgotten why he was here. Brilliant.

"For your costume. I have to know how old the child has to be before it's skinned and made into your outfit." It sounded like she dropped the phone. "Belle?" There was murmuring on the other end before she picked it up again.

"Please tell me that was a joke." She sounded breathless.

"It was a joke, dearie, now I need to know or you aren't wearing anything." He hadn't realized his mistake. Thankfully she didn't either.

"I'm a four. Petite. They have to be petite. If not I'll swim in them." He moved to find the petite section.

"Alright. I've found it. I've decided on the starving artist for one of your outfits. I'll have to paint you later." He grabbed the raggedy shirt and cut jeans.

"Starving artist. Are you trying to subliminally tell me something?" There was murmuring on the other end of the line. "Shh, Hatter I've done more than you. I have time to chat." She was back to listening to Gold.

"What makes you say that?" He gave the outfit to the assistant who had come to help him.

"Nothing obvious. That's why it's subliminal." She chuckled and he looked for another outfit.

"Well what do you want to wear?" He had one more outfit to go.

"I've never been a mother before." She suggested it absently.

"You want to have baby vomit spattering you shirt, baby powder covering your nose, crayons colored on your shirt, and a toddler taking all of your sheets?" She chuckled.

"You're so negative. It can't be that bad." He found something that suggested single mother.

"It can be that bad." There was a beeping on his side of the line. He took his phone away from his ear to see David calling. He put the phone back to his ear. "David's calling. I'm done. We'll be back soon." They said their goodbyes and he picked up David's call. "Yes?"

"Where are you?" He guided the assistant to the register.

"Checking out." He looked around for the man.

"I'll be there in a minute." They hung up and he pocketed his phone. The cashier stared at the mound of clothing.

"There's more to come." She looked like she was going to faint. She hurried to begin detagging and scanning the clothes. Before she was finished David placed his set on the counter. She called in for back up. Soon, but not soon enough they had their clothes put together and in bags. They were leaving and heading back to the tower. The made sure the outfits had each been separated from the other. By the time they arrived the sun was down and Killian and Leroy were already back from their task. David was a sight to see with the majority of his body covered with bags as he stumbled into the penthouse. Leroy and Graham helped him out.

"Thanks." He huffed and they set all of the bags down by the bedding sets. Belle had her hands on her hips and was looking at the sheets.

"Guys!" She called and they all looked at her. "Which one?" She held up two fabrics. She felt like one of them was a little over used, but the other clashed, but it brought the whole thing together.

"Brown."

"No, red."

"What's wrong with you guys it's obviously the brown one."

"Are you serious? Red."

"Brown. You're all insane."

"Red. It's the perfect choice." Belle turned around and they were all scowling at each other. She looked at Gold. He was the only voice she hadn't heard. She raised an eyebrow to him.

"Well, Gold, this must be the most monumental moment in your life. Red?" She held up one hand. "Or brown?" She put the other hand down and held up the brown case. He leaned on his cane and tapped the fingers on his free hand on his thigh.

"What goes better with blue?" The glare off was still in effect.

"Brown, of course." She thought it was a silly question.

"Then brown it is." He set his own bag down and a chorus of groans and 'yes's' rose into the air. Belle nodded and put the brown pillow cases with the set. She sat back and admired her work.

"Those six," She looked back to make sure they were all paying attention. "Are for the ones with no models." They all nodded and continued to gripe or brag about how their color won or lost. Belle looked at the time and sighed. Was it really that late already? She felt a yawn creeping up and she stifled it by closing her mouth. "Did we get everything we needed to do get done?" Hatter and Gold looked up at her. Hans was writing in the notebook still. Hatter nodded and she noticed, as his name suggested, he had somehow pulled out a hat and was wearing it now. It bobbed as he nodded, but stayed on his head. "Then we're done here. I'm going to go back to my room and get a long night's sleep." She grabbed her purse and to emphasize she yawned. There were mumbles of acknowledgement from all around. She waved absently as she left. She yawned again when she was out of the penthouse and continued to walk down the hall to the elevator. She pressed the button to her floor. She was a little more than overwhelmed that she not only was working with some of the well rounded A-listers, but she was living the the Trump Tower for the next few weeks. Or so she hoped. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator. No sooner did she get halfway down the hallway did the elevator ding again and the doors opened. She looked over her shoulder and the uneven gait of her follower gave away his identity. She stopped and waited for him to catch up. "You didn't have to follow me." She gave a teasing smirk.

"Who says I was following you? I am in 915." She didn't know why, but her heart jumped and she bit her tongue to stop any other unintentional outbursts from her subconscious mind.

"Now I know not to go far for my child skin jeans." He looked over at her sideways. _898, 899, 900._ They were getting closer to their own respected rooms. They walked in comfortable silence which she found was odd. Strangers don't normally feel so comfortable with each other. She shrugged it off as if it was a breeze and looked at the doors. _910, 911, 912. _They had to turn a corner and she found herself tripping on a loose corner of carpet. She took rapid steps to keep from falling on her face and was reassured by the warm support on her arm holding her in place. Once she caught her breath and calmed her racing heart she looked up at him. She smirked shyly. "Thank you." She straightened, but he didn't let go until she was on steady feet. Finally after an apprehensive look he let go of her arm. She cleared her throat and looked at the door they were standing by. _915._ She ignored the sinking her heart did when she read the numbers. "I would hate to burden you with a damsel at your front step." She gave a nervous chuckle. He looked over and nodded briskly.

"That would mean I was some gallant knight." He looked at her like she was foreign. "I am hardly described as that on a regular basis." Her toe hurt and she wanted to get to her room to ice it, but she also wanted to stay and talk with him.

"I don't know why. You have been nothing but polite to me in the whole time I've been here." She stuck out her chin softly to emphasize her point. "Maybe a little frightening, but nothing I can't handle."

"Given the bridezillas I hear about, I must be minuscule." She smiled and felt the awkwardness recede. His hand dug in his jacket pocket. He was looking for his card. He didn't want to leave her, but his leg was becoming unbearable. She saw and decided to say good night.

"Good night, Mr. Gold." He nodded with a lip curl.

"Good night, Miss French." She turned and walked to her door. It wasn't far. _917_. She heard his door open and she dug out her own key. She slipped into the dark room and waited until she heard his door close. She didn't know why, but to her it made a difference. She shut hers and flicked on the light. She looked into the expensive room and wondered how she could ever have ended up here. She heard him walking around in the room next to hers and she walked in. She hurried to change into her PJs and slid into the bed. She looked at the door that connects the two rooms together. Besides his slight lip curl it was the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes to sleep.

xXx

An annoying ringing filled her ears. She put the pillow onto her head to drown out the noise. It wasn't working. She opened her eyes and saw it was the phone on the nightstand. She reached over and answered it. A male voice responded to her drowsy hello.

"Belle? What are you doing still asleep?" Hatter's voice rang in her ears. She shot bolt right out of bed.

"I'm so sorry Hatter; I totally forgot to set my alarm. I'll be there in half an hour." He sounded like he was going to say something ridiculous, but she ignored it and hung up. She hurried to the shower and grabbed some clothes. She was in and out in ten minutes. She threw on her brown and blue dress; bringing out her eyes, and hurried to tame her curly hair. She decided on minimal makeup. She was out of her room in another ten minutes. She thought she was making some great time. She got to the warehouse in the last ten minutes. She was lucky. They all looked at her. She flushed and hurried in.

"Now that we're all here…..Time to get started." He began pointing people into groups. "With the lost time we are going to have to move double time." He clapped twice to get them moving. She walked over to Hatter.

"I'm sorry. I really am." He waved it off.

"I understand. Really I do especially with it being a Sunday." He chuckled and looked around. "Where is my hammock?" He yelled. She smirked and hurried to the mirrors where artists were waiting for their canvas. They began to paint her face.

"You're doing the single mother first." She smirked in response and waited as they made her face presentable for the pictures. Despite being one with an eye for detail she never bothered with makeup much. They finished in record time and shooed her out carefully. She hurried to get changed. David handed her the right bag as she went to go change. She came out a few minutes later with pajama pants with a plaid pattern on them, a short sleeved shirt that said _Soccer Mom _on the front and _And Proud of It _on the back. She had a few stains on the shirt and the pants were frayed at the seams. It wasn't something she would wear on a normal basis, but it was comfortable. Something she thought only her dresses could provide. She walked over to the cameras and Hatter looked at her. He nodded then turned to the photographer. He was currently doing the homosexual couple. She couldn't help but find them ridiculously adorable.

"Alright, I think we got it." They opened their eyes and let go of each other. They hurried to go get changed into their regular clothes now that their photo was done. "Hey! We got a live one." Belle wasn't reassured as he called that out to the crew. Someone came by and as they hurried to strip the bed and replace it with an older one, they began to explain to her how she should pose.

"You need to look like you've just drove your child around all day, you cleaned the house, did the dishes, and taking a quick nap before you have to go work at your graveyard shift to support you and your child." Belle nodded. That's what it had been like for her. She was never a demanding child, but after he father died it was harder and harder for her mother to provide for a seven year old and still keep her head afloat. They were done and she walked onto the set. She lay down on the bed and began her pose. One arm behind her head and the other hanging off of the edge of the bed. The sheets were wrapped around her, but her left leg stuck out caught between the fight of too hot and too cold. She mused up her hair quickly and closed her eyes. Her mouth opened slightly.

"Perfect!" She heard Hatter yell. The snap, snap, snap of the camera let her know she was done. "Got it!" She opened her eyes and she was flung back to reality. She hurried back to the dressing room. "Artist next, Belle!" Hatter called after her and she held up a thumb. She could feel his smile. She got changed, got her makeup and was waiting beside David as they shot Gold's photo. To see him in something other than three piece suits was refreshing. She thought he was lying when he said he slept like a princess, but he really did look serene. It made him look younger too. She never noticed his age, and she wouldn't ask him – that was rude – but she knew for sure he was older than she. She shook her head and cursed herself for letting him get into her head again. She doubted Mary Margaret had thought about David this much. Although it was hard to tell without her here to spy on. Soon enough she was being shoved slightly away to the redecorated bed. They didn't give her a low down, so she assumed this was all on her part.

She lay down and kicked the covers around. Her hair was sticking up in all angles and despite the unladylike prospect, she forced herself to drool. Her mouth was open as if she might be snoring. Someone came by and dabbed paint – at least she hoped it was paint – on her shirt and side of her face. She whispered a thank you, but tried to stay in her position. Soon enough there was the click, click, click and the call and Belle was done. She got up and wanted to inspect this for herself. She went over to the mirror and saw the white and colored paint dappled around her face. She lifted her face with her hand in the mirror to see the painter had managed to get some of it in her hair.

"Don't worry it's washable." She nearly jumped. She was too consumed in her profile to notice someone standing behind her. She focused on the build. She felt embarrassed for being wrapped up in her image. She was never vain.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't see you come up behind me." He gave a short head nod.

"Looks like Hatter finally got his hammock." He looked over at the studio and Belle chuckled. Hatter had a scaffolding type of object holding the hammock up and it looked odd against the white background. "God knows what that man will do with it." He looked back at her.

"I would be amazed if he even uses it right." At that moment he turned around hearing their conversation. He gave a glare, but the amusement in his eyes was counterproductive.

"I heard that." He called over and people rushed to get her fixed up. Mr. Gold was lost in the whirlwind of hair spray and makeup. Someone handed her a bag and she hurried to go get changed she thought for the millionth time. Once she got into the dressing room and pulled out the clothes though she stared at them in horror. Short shorts with a bikini top. The top had round cuts instead of triangular so she was thankful for that. It was black with a faint zebra pattern in it. The stripes were rainbow. She wrinkled her nose. Whoever chose this for her better had guessed right. She looked into the bag hoping for something else. She reached in and success there was a top. It had no buttons, so she would have to tie it in the front. She thought that would help her with her dignity. She hurried to change and gracious that she had shaved before she got here. She finally realized the hammock. She was going to kill Hatter. She walked out and wished she wasn't so pale. One of the makeup girls stopped and handed her a bottle.

"Rub this on and you'll look a little better for the shoot. Only a little lotion though." Belle thanked her and did as she asked. She could feel eyes on her and she hurried to finish rubbing the tanner in. She whipped around and Killian was staring at her. She nearly growled. But she thought it was better than touching, so she let it be and walked away. She fixed her tie in the front and centered it. She waited until David was done and went up to the hammock. They fixed the few changes and Belle threw the two pillows that were on there off and searched for a better pillow. Now that she saw it she knew what she needed. She grabbed the one she was looking for and hurried back. She set it on there and looked at the comforter that was the only thing on there. The hammock was large. She saw fitting one larger person like David or two smaller people. She put her hands on her hips and looked around. She shouldn't have suggested the two smaller people. Mr. Gold came walking up and he was wearing a tight fitting t-shirt and low hanging jeans. She didn't know why she felt her heart race and her face flush. She looked down at her legs and was glad to see they had tanned up. He stopped a few feet away from her.

"Alright you two," Hatter smiled like a cat again. "On ze bed." He pointed and gave a fake German accent. Both of them look startled. He rolled his eyes. "This is not _marriage._ Get on the hammock. The sooner you do the sooner you can get away from each other or whatever it is you kids do these days." No one commented that he was younger than Gold. Belle unconsciously rubbed at her shorts as if that would make them longer. Someone came up along Hatter and whispered in his ear. Hatter nodded. "If you want to change you better hurry because Don's here." Her face paled and she made hurried steps towards the hammock. She waited for him to step in first, so she could work around him. It would be easier and make this whole thing go faster. He set his cane under the hammock and climbed in. After hanging a leg out to steady the swinging hammock she moved to climb in. The sound of Don Jr.'s voice made her jump slightly and cause the hammock to swing into her softly therefore she was thrown on Gold. He caught her thankfully. He steadied the motion of the hammock as she looked up through her hair at him.

"I'm _so_ sorry." She scrambled to fit the rest of herself around him. His arms still hadn't moved and she noticed he was oddly silent for most of the day. Once she was somewhat comfortable given the circumstances she cleared her throat. "Did I scare you into speechlessness?" He twitched his nose.

"Why would I be scared?" She could hear Don talking to Hatter, so they had to wait until he was done before the photos could be taken.

"Because I practically jumped you." She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She replaced her hands on his chest and grabbed at his shirt. She never liked hammocks. The motion made her sick. She was glad that the sheets were covering her hands.

"Well I'm not complaining." His lip curled and she took a deep breath of his scent.

"I am glad I am confined with you." His eyebrows furrowed together. "Out of all the others on team."

"I don't know what that trip did to you last night, but I think it damaged something in your mind." He almost growled.

"Don't growl at me." She said defiantly. "I really am glad that it's with you." She twitched her nose. "Can you imagine what I would do if I got stuck this close to Killian for as long as we are?" He blinked and licked his lips. Her eyes flicked down to capture the action then back up to meet his eyes. She wondered if he tasted spicy as well.

"Out of all of them? Even David?" She nodded and a loose strand of hair fell into her face. Before she could fix it he retreated a hand from around her and put it behind her ear. He had a look of determination on his face which she found oddly adorable. It was like the world was in this little space and with that one stray hair it could end it as they spoke.

"He's a great guy, but I wouldn't want to get in the way." She looked down at his chest and hummed silently to herself as her eyes followed the slight curves of his muscles.

"How?" His voice broke her mind out of its fantasies.

"Mary Margaret's got a thing for him." She pressed her lips together after she confessed that tid bit of information. He chuckled softly and the hammock swung slightly.

"Don't worry, dearie, it's obvious that David does too." She took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Don't tell her I told you." She could hear Don finishing up the conversation and dread filled her. Where did that come from?

"Aren't you two adorable?" Hatter laughed, mocking them.

"Put a hat in it Hatter." Gold said over her. He laid his head back down and grumbled something about ungrateful and something that rhymed with lick. Her face flushed and she hurried to get the color to recede before the shoot. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. His spicy scent filled her nostrils and she couldn't find herself complaining. She felt him relax and heard the snap of the camera. Too soon Hatter called over to them that they had the photos. Belle opened her eyes slowly and saw his were staring at her.

"You were supposed to be pretending to sleep." He attempted a shrug. It only swung the hammock. The buzz around them was dying down.

"I always sleep with one eye open." She chuckled.

"Worried I might do something Mr. Gold?" He narrowed his eyes at the tease.

"No, I'm worried someone else will attempt something, dearie." She was on the edge each time he called her that. Sometimes it felt like an endearment other times a threat. She hummed and closed her eyes again as the hammock swung from people hitting the scaffolding. Her stomach did weird flips and she really didn't want to get sick all over him. She grabbed onto his shirt tighter and unconsciously pulled him closer. "Scared of heights, dearie?" She shook her head, but that was a bad idea and she tasted the acid in the back of her throat. It swung violently again and she buried her face in her chest to stop thinking about the motion. His scent was reassuring and she felt herself relaxing into it. His warm hands on her exposed flesh were a comforting presence.

"Make them stop, so I can get out." He finally caught on and held her close as the moved it once again.

"Hey quit hitting the scaffolding you miscreants! She needs to get out and if you move it again she'll sick all over you!" The silence that responded was deafening.

"You didn't have to be mean." She mumbled and pulled out of his embrace and tried to get her bearings, so she could swing her legs out of the bed. He reached down and grabbed his cane. He handed it to her and she looked at him oddly.

"For balance." She shook her head.

"You need it more than I." He gave a humorless laugh.

"Says the one who can't get out of a swinging hammock." She scowled at him as he lay back in the bed. He put his arms behind him and people began to move around again. Quieter this time. "I'll take it back when you get your land legs in order." He seemed to be enjoying this.

"Take your cane back." She shoved it at him and fell out of the hammock. It swung around with him in it and sent them both sprawling on the floor. There was laughing behind them. Grumbling from both of the participants on the floor. "This is your fault." She said picking herself up.

"My fault, dearie, I don't see how this is _my _fault." He reached for his cane and heaved himself to the sitting position. She stood up and wiped off her attire. The laughing had ceased.

"Because you smell delectable." She spat and she could see his recoil at the statement.

"It's my fault because I smell good?" He shook his head and his longer than normal hair got in his eyes. "I think something was damaged last night." She twisted up her face in anger and stood up in a flourish. She stalked away sending the people around her running. Her team watched her leave before looking at Gold who was shakily getting off the ground. She slammed the dressing room door and hurried to change back into her normal attire. She still could smell him and it was an awful reminder of what a jerk he was. She stepped out after recollecting herself and calmed her demeanor. To the untrained eye she was composed and collected, but inside she was still a raging volcano waiting for another prod.

"Hey Belle," Hatter called over and she blamed him for some of this too. "We gotta pick the centerpiece, so Hans and Graham can get to the editing process." She nodded with a plastered on smile and followed him. There was an open seat by Gold, but when she got there everyone moved over so that she was on the opposite side. Right now Killian felt like more company than Gold. At least she could punch him again if he tried anything. She sat down looking prim and waited for them to begin. "Alright we have chosen these sixteen out of the hundreds we took." He pointed. There was six of the beds and ten of the models. One of each different pair. She scanned the photos. She saw the one of her and Gold and despite the fight they had just had she thought it was a really great photo. With his eyes closed, or so she thought, he looked younger. His features stood out against Belle's soft complexion to complement each other. "Now we just need to narrow it down." After ten minutes they had it down to two. The one of Hans and Graham and the one of Belle and Gold. "Close your eyes." Hatter demanded serious. "No peeking!" He yelled at someone. "Alright." There was silence. "Gold an Belle." Belle raised her hand and cinched her eyes tightly closed. He waited a few seconds. "Hans and Graham." Belle put her hand down and after a few more seconds of silence he told everyone to open their eyes. The one of Belle and Gold lay in the middle. Everyone nodded even if theirs didn't win. Hans and Graham looked at each other almost in gratitude. They got up and hurried to the computer to start editing.

"What's the slogan that they came up with?" Hatter looked over at Belle.

"Oh yes, it was decided this morning whilst you were asleep," He didn't sound like he was trying to put emphasize on the _asleep_ part. "'Touch of class for all classes'." He looked at her excitedly. She nodded.

"I think it's great." He nodded again and she noticed at last he had a hat on. She wondered where he procured these hats from. She looked at her phone and checked the time. _12:45._ "Hey who's hungry." A unified 'I am' sounded off and she smiled. "Alright I'm buying. What do you want?"

"Barbeque."

"Asian."

"Pizza."

"Subway." She chuckled.

"How about we get Subway so that way you can customize your sandwich." She grabbed a notebook and passed it to the person next to her. This happened to be Killian. "Write down what you want so I can go get it."

"I'll come with you." David suggested. She shook her head.

"I'm alright plus I'll be there in no time and be back before they're done." She pointed to Hans and Graham. She smiled and she grumbled in complaint, but didn't press.

"Hey!" Graham said and she chuckled. After about five minutes everyone was done and she was grabbing her purse. She read over the orders and ripped the paper out of the notepad. She put the notepad in her purse and the orders in her pocket. She began her trek to Subway.

Once she left all eyes turned to Gold. He leaned back in his chair and pressed his chin to his chest. He crossed his arms over his midsection, but kept his cane in hand. They all continued to stare at him. Finally it was beyond irritating and he broke the silence.

"Take a picture." He sneered. "It lasts longer." Still silence. "What?" He gripped his cane tighter.

"So…." Leroy started.

"Belle…." Killian finished. All eyes were still glued to Gold.

"I'm not talking about it." His frustration was rising.

"Oh but you are. What do you have to say to go from cuddling to hugging the floor?" David inquired.

"Open your mouth in Killian's case." In response Killian held up his hand and breathed into it. He sniffed his hand and twisted up his face. He quickly disguised it with a look of impassive.

"Come on Gold, we're all team mates here." Graham tried to persuade.

"Yes, but you don't need to be in my social life." He grumbled. "I should have gone with Belle to exclude myself from this ridicule." 'Oohs' rose from the surrounding gentlemen. "Oh shoo off." He stood up and shoved his chair back.

"Come on Gold, Killian's the snake charmer and she wouldn't even give in, but you swoop in and grab her for the taking." Leroy called.

"Maybe because I know that Belle is not a snake." It was silence from then on until Belle came back.

Twenty minutes and three bags of Subway later, Belle was on her way back to the penthouse. The ride up the elevator seemed exceptionally long. Finally she opened the door to the penthouse and with a sigh everyone looked over at her. The tension in the room was suffocating. It was targeted at one man. They all moved to bombard her, but she held up a finger and pointed at them.

"Sit." She commanded and they all sat. Except Gold who continued to stand by the windows. "I'll come around." They waited impatiently while she came around, but they did say thank you. Lastly was Gold. She walked up and handed it to him. He grabbed her wrist along with the sandwich. She glared daggers at him and he stared evenly back. "Just the sandwich, Gold." She dropped his name like venom.

"I'm sorry." She didn't let her surprise show. "If I said anything to offend you, I'm sorry." Her temper flared again.

"_If_?" She sputtered yanking her hand away not caring if she was causing a scene. Hell she would have had a Broadway musical had it not been for his cool demeanor. "I would accept your apology if it was an actual apology." She sneered and turned on her heel. She grabbed her own sandwich and huddled around a lone table to eat it. The anger that radiated off of her had everyone at bay. They better win or she was going to throw him under a bus.

**A little long sorry, I just get so sidetracked. Please don't favorite or follow without a review I appreciate it, but please reviews they really aren't for me. They're for charity. The Charity of Z's (me) self esteem.**


	3. Dinner

**Thank you to RainMirror for the excellent idea. I will have it soon. The winners will be announced this chapter so get ready. **

Belle looked at the edited photos. They had all agreed that it looked close to perfect. She stared at it for a little bit longer before looking at her watch. It was only six. The sun was setting behind the New York skyscrapers making the scene look oddly confining and lonely. She sighed and turned around. The boys were packing up all of their stuff and looked exhausted. She twitched her nose.

"Hey anyone up for a drink? I'm buying." A chorus of 'I's rose into the air. As they grabbed their stuff David looked back at her. "You wanna come, Belle?" She shook her head with a sad smile.

"No, I'm alright." He gave her one last look before heading out with the others. She was oblivious to the world around her as her mind wandered. She wanted to go back to her room and read a nice, long book. She sighed in content and hurried out to catch a cab. Before long one pulled up beside her and she wedged herself into the cramped compartment. When she moved to shut the door it was being held ajar by an invisible force. She forced her mind out of her reverie and looked at who – or what – was holding the door. A suited arm was on the edge of the door and a black cane between the door and the jamb. She tried to scowl at both of them. "Get your own cab." She said as he slithered in. For a man with a cane he was stealthy. Hardly tripped or fell which made her wonder how long he had been that way. The way he looked now and how he got in the cab made her think of a shark. Her heart pounded in her chest at the analogy. That meant she was the bait. She inwardly groaned.

"Why? There's a perfectly good one waiting for me right here." She scooted over on the seat closer to the door as the driver drove into traffic.

"Oh I'm sure you could have gotten your own with that snake charm of yours." She put her head on the cold window. He held his cane out in front of him and rests his head on the handle of his cane. She was just glad that the rush hour traffic was over. "Why didn't you go get a drink with the rest of the boys?" She didn't care; she just didn't want the awkward silence anymore.

"Didn't want to go with the rowdy crowd." She wrinkled her nose.

"So what do you prefer instead?" He leaned back and looked over at her. They halted at a red light a little abruptly and the Arabic man up front apologized. Belle smiled. Gold scowled.

"Books." He dared a look over at her. She straightened and looked over at him slowly. "I like that I could have a conversation with it and it never says anything back." She tried to resist the smirk on her face. "What about you?"

"Do I talk to books?" She said incredulously. She looked up away from him – to help her regain her composure mostly – pretending to think. "I guess if it's good." She looked back over at him and he seemed closer than he was a few seconds ago. She brushed it off as her imagination. "I'm so glad I get to go to sleep at a normal time tonight. Today was exhausting." He couldn't tell if she meant their fight or just the overall day.

"Tomorrow is going to be hell." She couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that leaked from her lips.

"You could say that again." She relaxed and leaned back into the seat. She closed her eyes as she felt the car roll on the New York streets. After a few more turns the car stopped. She opened her eyes and couldn't help but notice she was being watched. She glared at him. He stared at her for a little bit longer before opening the door. He motioned for her to get out. She pulled out some money and went to hand it to the driver, but he stopped her.

"I already paid." She scowled and gave the driver the money anyways. He thanked her and she got out of the car on her side. She walked around and took long strides to the door. He was somehow faster and opened it for her. She shot him a glare before walking in. Before she could press the button to the elevator she was being whisked away in the opposite direction. She had had enough of his demanding attitude. She dug her heels in and hindered his caption.

"Help! Help! Someone!" People looked at the scene as she screamed for someone to take him away. He looked back at her and put the hand that was on her arm on her mouth to silence her. She glared at him from over his hand and people hurried to get out of the way. They stood in the middle of the lobby and a guard was standing off somewhere staring at them. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You haven't eaten since lunch. I think a dinner is in order since you paid for _my _lunch." She knew it was foolish, but she wanted his hand off of her mouth so she licked the inside of his hand. He hardly even reacted. She only got angrier. She reached up and yanked his hand off of her mouth. She noticed he didn't even wipe his hand on his suit or anything. She turned on her heel and as she was about to walk away he grabbed her arm again and whipped her back around. "Please, let me buy you dinner then I'll leave you alone." She found it impossible since they were rooming next to each other and the only thing separating them was a TV on a wall.

"Promise." He let her go and made a flourish with his hand.

"The word of a lawyer is one that is never broken. I promise." She snorted unladylike.

"Oxymoron." She stared at him. "Well do I have to choose the restaurant as well?" He shook his head and moved so she could pass by him. She continued to walk without so much as a second glance. He walked beside her.

"The restaurant is over here." He grabbed her arm carefully this time and pointed her in the direction her nose – and stomach – was already going. She was silently glad that she didn't have to order room service. They arrived at the dimly lit dining room and she could smell the many different varieties of food assault her senses. She closed her mouth to keep from drooling. She looked around and the packed area and wondered how they would ever find a seat. She was glad she didn't have to because the hostess came by and led them in the direction of a small table. It was pressed up against a wall with stained glass on the edge of the barricade. It over looked a small park and Belle sat down looking out the glass. Besides the color distortion she thought it was nice. The hostess handed them both a menu and Belle hardly looked at it before putting it at the edge of the table. She tucked her legs around one side of the chair and held the leg with the top of her feet. She smoothed out her dress and set the napkin on her lap. He watched her, interested. "Do you think we will win?" She blinked a few times before looking over at him.

"That's not up to me to decide." A glass of water was placed in front of her and she took a sip. He watched her careful movements. She stared out at the park again. Belle kept her hands on the glass as she felt the cool condensation on the edges make her hands slick with cold water. She thrummed her fingers on the edge of the glass. Before he could say something to start conversation, the waiter came by with a pen and pad of paper.

"What would you like this evening?" Belle didn't comment that it was almost eight.

"I'll just have some soup." She looked over at him.

"The specials for tonight are minestrone, Manhattan clam chowder, or chicken noki." She could taste them all as he said them.

"I'll have the chicken noki." Gold twitched his nose and he was glad she didn't see it.

"Dinner or side bowl." The waiter began to write her order down.

"Dinner thank you." He nodded and turned to Gold.

"Same." She shot a look over at him before looking back outside at the darkness descending. The waiter said something about a good evening before leaving, but Belle was too caught up in the scenery to pay any mind. Her mind wandered to the day's previous events. Her legs were starting to hurt from the position they were in and she moved to unhook them from the leg of the chair. She hadn't realized how short the table was and as her legs stretched out they hit his own and she looked over at him in shock. She was afraid she hit his bad leg. She straightened and fixed herself into a structured appearance. Her back was straight and her legs were parallel to each other. He looked at her with a mocking expression. Her caution vanished.

"I didn't hurt your leg?" He gave a sideways smirk.

"No, dearie, but I appreciate the concern." She pressed her lips together and looked at him with a scowl. She reached out for glass and her hands played absentmindedly with the sweaty glass. She looked at the maroon table cloth feeling her anger dissipate. She hated anger it consumed her life for a long time after her dad was killed. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but their food came and ruined her moment. As the smell rose to her nose she bit back the bile and despite her hunger the memory of her father lying lifeless and bleeding out in the alley way made her lose her appetite. She took the napkin off of her lap and threw it down next to the bowl.

"I'm sorry." Her voice choked on unshed tears and she hurried out of the restaurant. He pursued her after he paid for the uneaten meal. He was marginally slower than she. She wiped at her face to hide the tears as she dodged the people and slid into the empty elevator hitting the button to her floor before he could stick his cane through a small opening. He called her name as he tried as he may to catch up to her. The elevator closed and he hit his cane to the floor in a loud crack. Another one opened and as people vacated the tiny compartment he slipped in and hit the button to their floor as many times as it took for the doors to open. He closed his eyes trying to remember the code to the emergency lift. He pressed the buttons as he remembered and he continued to through all of the floors without being interrupted by waiting people. Miraculously their doors opened at the same time. Once again he chased after her.

"Belle!" He didn't bother for other people's shouts to keep quiet. She turned the corner and as she stumbled on the same tuft of carpet he caught up and grabbed her wrist pulling her into his chest. She beat into him with her fists.

"Let me go!" She cried as tears streaked her face. He made a sound of pain, but let her go anyways. She surprisingly didn't move. They stood in front of his door and nothing, but heavy breathing between them.

"What's wrong? What did I say?" He stared down at her worried. His eyes searched her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." She choked on her breath and coughed.

"It – " She sniffled and hated herself for crying. "It wasn't you. It was me." She turned to retreat to her room, but her grabbed her chin and pulled her face in to catch his lips. She found herself not rejecting, but softly reciprocating.

It wasn't pressing.

It wasn't hurried.

It was lingering.

It was delicate. She didn't put her arms around him like she would have normally done, but kept them in fists at her sides. The longer he pressed his lips to hers and the longer he held her there they unfurled and she leaned up to deepen the kiss. He released her and they broke away softly. Her lips were swollen and her eyes were closed. She took a few deep breaths before she opened her eyes. He was staring at her with loving eyes. Her toes hurt and she hadn't realized she was reaching up until she only felt air under her heels. They were silent for a long time. Their eyes searched each other's looking for any signs of regret or remorse. There was none. He raised the knuckle of his index finger to touch her chin. He kissed her there.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you." It wasn't his words it was his actions he was referring to. Belle shook her head and looked down at his feet. She couldn't meet his eyes afraid of what she might see.

"You didn't." She whispered and turned on her heel to to her room. As soon as she shut the door she slid against the frame and sat down into a crumbled mess. She let her feelings guide her actions and it got her here. What's worse is she would have to face him tomorrow. She decided she was going to act like it never happened. It got her where she was in life now. She prayed it would get her a little farther. She got up shakily and went to the bathroom. She scrubbed the makeup off her face and undid her hair. She changed into some pajamas and collapsed on the bed, overwhelmed with the days preceding events. Her stomach rumble in hunger, but she ignored it. After an hour of tossing and turning she gave up on sleep altogether. She got up and walked to her balcony. She stepped outside and hung over the edge of the railing. She held on tightly to the iron as she leaned down, looking at the street. She breathed in the smog air and her lungs filled with black. It wasn't the country she was accustomed too, but it would have to do. The brisk autumn air stung at her uncovered skin in the long poet shirt. It cut low and her flesh was prickled with gooseflesh. She shivered, but it helped clear her mind. After her feet were numb and her fingertips almost purple she decided to try sleep again. She wrapped herself in the sheets like a tomb and closed her eyes. This time sleep was overwhelming.

xXx

The sound resonated off her wall and made her shoot upright in bed. The blankets fell around her and she shot out of bed. Her feet weren't quite awake yet, so she fell on her face before she could coherently walk. She groaned and stood up. She heard walking in the next room she walked to the door that separated the two rooms.

"Mr. Gold?" She listened as he stopped moving and grumbling began. "Are you alright?" She tried the handle. Unlocked. She made sure she only opened it up enough to see the faint glow of light coming from his lamp on the side of his bed.

"Yes, dearie," He sneered and she knew that someone had royally pissed him off. "Go back to bed. This is none of your concern." There was noise then a shadow crossed in front of her vision and he was there trying to shut the door. He wouldn't slam it – she hoped he wouldn't slam it – for she was in the way. Before her mind could catch up with her actions she shoved the door open enough against his strength and shadowed her way through the door. With gravity against him the door shut with a dull thud and he turned his head fractionally to her. The light cast odd shadows on his face. His cane only made him look more threatening. His eyes traveled down her body and she momentarily forgot what she was wearing. The poet shirt was long, but it barely reached mid thigh. It also was designed for men, so it had a low cut in the front revealing to the lower edge of her sternum. She didn't let her embarrassment show. He turned on her and walked forward. Any softness that was portrayed hours earlier was gone, darkened by rage. It cast a sinister look to his profile. She jutted out her chin slightly to show her disregard to his demeanor. "You aren't afraid of me?" He searched her face and she was glad it was her face.

"Why should I be?" The anger that previously rolled off of him in waves dimmed to a tide. Her eyes traveled to what had caused the noise. There was a hole in the wall about the size of a fist. She looked down and was relieved to see he didn't punch the wall. "You're going to have to pay for that." She heard doors opening and closing and mutterings from the people in the rooms around.

"Damn man staying up to ungodly hours. It's one thing to stay up another to make such a ruckus." She distinguished Regina's sleep ridden voice from the mutterings.

"Easy fix." He walked past her brushing her shoulder slightly, but enough to make her stumble. She looked around for the culprit. She saw on the ground below the hole broken pieces of what she assumed were a phone.

"What happened?" He stopped in his proceedings to send everyone back to bed.

"It slipped." She scoffed and turned to look at him. He got to the door and opened it with such force it looked ready to come off its hinges. He simply looked outside and she could hear the other disturbed members of the game scurry to find their rightful rooms. He shut it after a moment and walked back over.

"'Slipped' did it? Well it looks like it just happened to slip from your hand as you launched it at the wall." He loomed over her trying to scare her away as he had done the others.

"You're not in a position judge my decisions, dearie." She searched his eyes for anger, but only saw the pain of a wounded man.

"What happened?" She repeated and he leaned heavily on his cane. He looked away from her to hide the unshed tears in his eyes, but the salty water glistened in the light. She moved forward and barely realized her own actions. She kissed his cheek. "Please tell me. I won't tell a soul." His eyes flicked over to hers and he walked to the edge of his bed. She decided she intruded enough and stayed where she was.

"It's Bae." She blinked and tried to conjure up an image of who the 'Bae' could be. "My son." She stifled a gasp. He shook his head and put a hand on his forehead. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this." He mumbled to himself, but in the suffocating silence it released its hold enough for her to hear. "He was diagnosed with Leukemia a year ago." Her legs itched to run and comfort him, but he looked like he was one to suffer in silence and alone. "My wife filed divorce soon after." She could see where this was going. "We have been fighting for Bae ever since." A tear rolled off his nose as he carded his fingers through his hair. "She lives in California with Bae now. It's legitimate. She has full custody." She couldn't resist it any longer. She knew what it was like to grow up without a father and she didn't want to see this man go through any more pain. If Bae lived long enough she wanted him to grow knowing his father was there for him.

"Who was the judge?" She said quietly. That startled him. He looked up with a pained expression.

"Why must it be known?" She wouldn't give in to his bullying.

"I have made many friends along the way. Many friends. A lot of them are judges." He shook his head softly giving her the information despite having no idea what she was going to do with it.

"Judge Anne Lucas." Belle smiled and ran back into her room she grabbed her phone and ran back to him. He sat staring at her from the edge of his bed. She dialed the close friend's number.

"I did both her daughter's and her son's wedding. You can say she owes me a favor." She put the phone to her ear and waited for her to pick up.

"Yes, Belle it's been long time no see." The elderly lady's voice bubbled from California.

"Oh yes I'm sorry work has been booming and I've just been cast on a reality show – "

"Oh I love that show! Punching that jackass got me laughing." Belle smiled and put her hand on her hip.

"People always told me I was born for the limelight." She said it modestly. "So how are the kids?"

"Oh they are doing great Shelby just had a baby girl," Belle squeaked in praise. "And Jack is thinking of getting his vows renewed, so he's going to need a wedding planner." Anna gushed and Belle chuckled.

"I'll expect an invitation in the mail." There was a reassuring laugh from the other end of the line.

"It's late there, doll I don't think this is a friendly 'hey how are ya' phone call. What do you need?" Belle was glad that she had always been on good terms with Anne.

"Well I hate to ask you, but I need a favor." Belle twirled a stray strand of hair in her fingers.

"Anything – after those fabulous weddings – name it." Belle took a deep breath.

"Do you know of the Roland Gold case?" She could hear Anne's eyebrow quirk up.

"That's my case." Belle licked her lips.

"Well I know it's a long shot, but," Belle shifted her feet. "Do you think you could reevaluate the case?" Static filled the other side as the friend breathed a deep sigh.

"It's been almost a year since this case started." Belle nodded.

"Yes I know, but to fight for a year for your son isn't a quality I would dub on a bad father." Anne mulled over the information. Silence followed for some time.

"That's true and correct, but the jury sides with Mellissa on this case. I can't sway the jury I just interpret the law, hun." Belle nodded again.

"I understand, but," Belle lowered her voice. "I don't want the boy to think his father was a dead beat who bailed on his son when the marriage dropped out. The love I see in his eyes is nothing you could fake for a jury. If not full do you think you can get joint?" She pleaded. "Bae doesn't have long. Let him have as much time with his son as possible, please Anne." Belle waited as the silence stretched. After some grumbling and static as more air was forced out of the judge's mouth.

"I guess I could get the jury to get their votes together and – " Belle smiled broadly and turned to Gold.

"Thank you Anne, thank you thank you thank you. Hey when Jack get's his vows renewed you can count on me to be there to plan the whole thing. Fifteen percent off." Anne chuckled.

"I'll pay full price this is a favor. Get some rest child." Belle nodded again.

"Alright have a nice week Anne." They exchanged goodbyes and Belle hung up with a smug look on her face. He stared at her with dry eyes. "She is going to reevaluate the case and somehow persuade the jury to let you have joint custody." She wasn't expecting the wind to be knocked out of her as she was gripped in a tight hug. Tears of joy soaked her shoulder.

"Belle, you are amazing." He whispered and pulled back trying to compose himself. "I guess I owe you now." She shrugged. Her shirt slipped off her shoulder and hung on her upper arm revealing a great deal of skin. She pulled it back up hurriedly and he pretended not to notice. "Why would you do that for such a monster like me?" She slotted her eyes and glared at him.

"A monster doesn't cry when his son is diagnosed with leukemia. A monster doesn't get choked up because he lost all custody of his son to his ex wife. A monster doesn't feel pain." She stated simply and with that she turned on her heel and walked out of the room. The door clicked shut behind her and she didn't look back as she left him standing there slack jawed and fishing for a retort. She fell onto the bed and didn't bother to wrap herself up.

xXx

It was morning before she knew it and she grumbled into the pillows. Her alarm was going off somewhere in the sea of sheets. She raised her head and fished for the wayward phone. Finally after hitting her fingers against it, she found it and turned off the ringing. She got up and took her time taking the shower and getting dressed. She heard the hustle and bustle of others around her and she smirked. Somehow this reminded her of camp. Except it was the Concrete Jungle instead of the Bare Wilderness. Belle grabbed her purse and hurried out of her room. She saw Mr. Gold was walking out as well. He placed his key in his pocket and she took long strides to catch up to him. She didn't want bad blood going into this final day.

"Do you mind if I walk with you?" She figured it was at least polite to ask.

"I don't see a reason to stop you." His face was expressionless as he flicked his eyes over to her. She twitched her nose in frustration.

"I'm sorry about what I said last night." She couldn't help but notice how much apologizing each of them had been doing to each other. She could feel his presence relax.

"No, you're right, it's just," He took a deep breath as they stopped for the elevator. "I've never been called much of anything else. I guess the more you hear it the more you believe it." He smiled bitterly. She wanted to wrap him up in her arms, but she knew it would hardly help.

"I think everyone else can shove off," He looked at her as the elevator had yet to arrive. She raised her hand to put it over his heart. "You're just a man. A good man because I can see it in you." He tensed under her touch and she recoiled as the ding sounded the lift. They looked in at the same time and as they were about to walk in someone called Belle's name. Ruby and Mary Margaret were standing next to each other trying to motion her over. She looked apologetically back at Mr. Gold. "I'm sorry." His expression was passive. He walked into the elevator and in a swift motion turned around hitting the button with his cane out in front of him. She rushed to meet them as she heard the hiss of the doors closing and a sense of foreboding filled her. She pushed it away. The two were jittery from the end of the hall. She finally caught up to them. "Yea?" She moved her hair out of her face.

"Soo….." Ruby started.

"Mr. Gold…." Belle scrunched up her nose. Mary Margaret finished the sentence.

"Nothing alright." She tried to persuade them. It wasn't working.

"You were about to get into an elevator along with him – might I add that you were previously touching his chest – and only one thing comes from being alone in an elevator." Ruby bit her bottom lip and Mary Margaret chuckled.

"Don't bother with that monster." Regina cut in and made both Ruby and Mary jump. "He'll use you like he used my mother." She cut between the friends and swayed down the hall. They all leaned in as a gleam in Ruby's eye told them she had an idea.

"She's just uptight because no one has _used_ her since the Dark Ages." Regina turned around with a death glare and they all looked away avoiding her gaze. They waited until she was at the other end of the hall and waiting for the elevator before breathing. They focused their attention on Belle again. "We heard that you two had a bit of a….." Ruby looked at Mary Margaret. "Dispute that ended with you two in a bed." Belle put a hand on her forehead.

"Then you heard wrong." She pointed a finger at them. "I can't tell you the details until after the winner is announced." They both rolled their eyes and groaned.

"Belle," Ruby gave her a look pursing her lips. "Please. We tell you everything." She sighed.

"Because you two don't know 'no'." Mary Margaret blushed and when she saw David walking their way she looked like she could pass for a tomato. Ruby brushed off the comment. "I promise I'll give," Belle sighed again. "You the _juicy_ details when this task is over." They both seemed satisfied with the declaration and they walked to the elevator. David, Hans, and Hatter close behind them. It was Ruby and Mary Margaret's turn to get nervous. They crammed into the elevator and Belle nearly suffocated from the tension and awkwardness. She looked at her team. "How were drinks last night?" She thought it was safe ground. Hans and David grumbled.

"Light weights." Hatter snickered. "Two beers and Killian and I were hauling bodies from the bar." Ruby smirked.

"Went out to drink and didn't invite the ladies? Boys you should be ashamed of yourself." Ruby tempted. Hatter looked down at her and took off his hat to attempt a bow in the crowded area.

"Next time I'll make sure to invite the ladies, so they can help carry these two." He gave a dazzling smile and Ruby grabbed for Belle's arm in support. It was nice to see the normally composed girl in such disarray. Belle chuckled and after a glare from Ruby they continued to converse for the time spent in the elevator. Before the last floor came up beneath them she felt someone tap her shoulder. Hans handed her a piece of paper and she took it graciously. She smiled and put it in her pocket for later. As they walked out to get to their suites Hatter bowed at Ruby one last time before following Belle to their room. As the rest of Team Action gathered in their suite they decided to head out with a few things and ready for the last day. They all squeezed into the van and incidentally Belle and Mr. Gold were shoved in the back together. She looked over at him.

"I'm sorry for earlier." He shook his head, but he didn't look at her.

"I understand, dearie, friends can be a bit pressing." Now he looked sidelong at her and she twitched her nose at this man's ever changing moods. He was moodier than Belle was PMSing. And that was to say a lot. Belle nibbled her lip and looked forward. Up in the front Hatter, David, and Killian were enjoying a laugh.

"Ready for Judgment Day?" Belle leaned over carefully to Mr. Gold. She wasn't going to let his distanced attitude get the best of her. He gave a small smile.

"Ready as any of us are." She smirked and straightened. The rest of the ride was silent between the two, but she was glad this one wasn't awkward. They arrived at their assigned studios and were glad to see everything was set up as they were supposed to be. The centerpiece was set larger than the others and were scattered around it on the mesh wire wall. She smiled as she looked at the piece in its entirety. After a few quirks fixed here and there they were ready for the people. Around 8 o' clock they came. They lined around the block to see the gallery. Belle decided to start making calls. She was glad to hear her pick up almost right away.

"Hey, Belle it's been a while." She smiled.

"Hey, Mush." The endearment made the other girl on the line groan.

"You know I hate that." Belle giggled.

"I know, hey alright so I'm on this show – "

"Sure." Belle stopped in shock.

"Sure, what?" She put a hand to her other ear to hear the girl.

"Sure, I'll donate. I owe it to you anyways." Belle hummed.

"You must watch me don't you." There was noise on the other line indicating yes. "Alright well how much are you going to donate?" Belle said cautiously.

"25 will be good right?" Belle's jaw nearly hit the floor. "I'll send a check out to you today." 25 – 25 thousand dollars? Belle was ecstatic.

"Alright thank you so much, Mush." The girl groaned, but Belle could hear her smile.

"Alright get those calls made. Go on girl." Belle chuckled and as they said their goodbye's she hung up and walked over to Gold who at last minute was deemed the accountant. She thought it was ironic, but the only logical choice.

"I have twenty-five thousand." Gold looked up in shock, but hurried to hide it. He nodded writing it down and announced to the rest of the team she got twenty-five thousand dollars. There was applause by the front door. Belle and Gold looked over. Hatter was walking over with open arms. He grabbed the girl's upper arms and air kissed each cheek.

"Alice! Oh how nice to see a friendly face." Alice beamed and they chatter awhile before Belle saw a check exchange between the two persons. Belle recognized the designer, but never met her. She made shoes. Alice's Wunderland. She thought it was clever since the girl's last name was Wunder. Hatter came over smiling and handed Gold the check. He nodded and another fifteen thousand dollars was announced into the air. And the fun began.

xXx

Hours later Belle was exhausted and she lost track of the day after people and money came rolling in. She just hoped it was enough to win. They all sat in the boardroom now and they were being stared at from Ivanka, Don, and Mr. Trump himself. She wouldn't let anyone see, but she was slightly nervous. She sat in the middle surrounded by men. Hans behind her, Gold on her left, and David on her right. She moved a stray wisp of hair out of her face. Hatter sat on the farthest edge and he looked oddly happy. She was starting to believe those rumors that he _was_ mad. Her fingers played with the hem of her pencil skirt. Her blue blouse ruffled out in the front and made it look like she was breathing more than she actually was. The sleeves hung on her shoulder's and after about two inches down it was cut into slits for a few more inches before it closed again and hung loosely at her wrists. The silk was cool against her skin. Mr. Trump looked between the two teams.

"How did you enjoy this first task Jefferson?" Belle could see him deflate slightly at not being called Hatter.

"I thought it was great. I really got to see everyone's strengths and weakness and we worked on how to improve on both of them. And I got a hammock." He beamed and a few chuckles from Belle's team could be heard. Whether they were laughing at Hatter or the incident involving the hammock she couldn't tell. Belle couldn't help but indulge in a smirk.

"And you Dawn?" She looked terrified to be addressed by Mr. Trump, but she swallowed and answered let a little shakily.

"I thought it was enjoyable. I found who I liked working with and who I would rather put with someone else." Eyes flicked around as the group of women accused each other. Ivanka smirked.

"Alright, Jefferson," The hat tilted to the side. "Do you think you won?"

"That depends on if the executives liked it." Mr. Trump chuckled. "But yes, I feel like we have a good chance of winning." Mr. Trump moved his attention back to Dawn.

"And you, Dawn, do you think you won?" She gulped and she looked on the verge of tears. Belle didn't know what she did, but it obviously didn't deal with people.

"I have a strong feeling that we didn't lose." Mr. Trump nodded.

"Alright Ivanka, what the executives liked and disliked about Team X." She took a deep breath before talking.

"Adam and Stark liked that your team added more to the beds than just people. Adding the animals and children made it show how durable they were, but also stylish. They also liked that you had a slight story to the image. They didn't like that you didn't have any pictures of just their products." Ivanka silenced so her father could talk.

"Did that even come to mind in the design stage or was it not agreed on?" He asked the team as a whole. Emma spoke up.

"It honestly didn't come up." No one bothered to argue with the FBI agent. They all looked at Ivanka again.

"The CEO's really like that you had their product singled out, Team Action, and they loved that it was so diverse. They didn't necessarily like that you didn't any color, besides their product." She quieted again.

"Was that on purpose or did you not have time?" Belle decided to speak up.

"We wanted the main focus to be the product, so if people were distracted by the landscape then we didn't do our job to make the bedding stand out and be the priority of everyone's focus." She breathed softly through her nose. It was scarier doing that than she thought. Mr. Trump looked at her shortly before nodding. Belle's ruffles moved as she began to breathe regularly again.

"_Nice cover._" Mr. Gold whispered in her ear.

"_Thanks, thought of it myself._" She whispered back. He breathed a quick laugh. No one heard it thankfully. Before Belle could think about it a collage was being tossed at her. It had to have been the opposite team's poster. She looked at it and after she was done admiring it she set it back down on the table for the other's to look at it. Belle looked behind her team member's heads and looked over at Ruby. She was glad to see Ruby was doing the same. They both smiled at each other. Ruby a sly smirk. It made Belle cringe, but she didn't show it. She could hear Mary Margaret and Ruby whispering fiercely to each other. Belle moved to lean back in a normal position to try and hide her blush. Everyone was done looking and they looked at the front of the room.

"After seeing each other's posters do you still think you won?" He asked generally and both Project Manager's nodded. Don Jr. and Ivanka chuckled. "Well only one of you can win you realize." They nodded again. Mr. Trump looked at his son. "Would you like to tell them how much they raised?" He nodded.

"Team X raised a grand total of," He looked up from the paper. "Four hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars." There was clapping and congrats all around. "And Team Action," He suspended it and Belle wondered if they did this for their own enjoyment in seeing people squirm or if it was for the cameras. "Raised five hundred and fifty thousand dollars." Despite not making the most money Team X applauded. Belle felt her heart swell for Hatter.

"What's your charity, Jefferson?" David patted the emotional man's back and Gold nodded at him.

"Children's Health Fund." Mr. Trump nodded wanting him to explain. "My daughter was in a tragic accident a few years ago and it damaged her long term memory, so we are praying that she prevails and remembers her mother." Belle felt tears prick her eyes.

"Alright, Jefferson, you win, so you get seventy-five thousand dollars to your charity." Silent tears fell down his face. She never pegged him as an emotional man. She stored that information for later for Ruby. "Alright Team Action go back to your suite. Team X stay here someone will be fired." Everyone slid out of their chairs and Belle held out her hand to Ruby and Margaret. They touched hands before she left. They mobbed to the suite and Belle waved to Amanda. The secretary smiled. After walking back into the suite there were whoops and hollers from all around. Belle smiled and clapped.

"Congrats Jefferson." Belle smiled as he hugged her and lifted her off the ground spinning her around. She squeaked. "I have a skirt on; put me down." She hit his chest playfully and smiled at him as he let her down.

"I'm sorry I was just so excited. And happy." She smiled.

"Come on slow pokes grab a drink, a seat, and watch the drama unfold." Killian said as he lounged on the couch.

"Haven't you had enough of that this week Killian?" Mr. Gold retorted and Belle hid a smile behind the glass of champagne.

"Oh, enough fighting. You two are like a bunch of girls. No offense, Belle." She shook her head at Graham. Gold and Killian scowled at each other. The spaces on the couches were taken as Gold sat down next to David. The chairs were also taken, so Belle sat on the arm of the couch next to Gold. He was the one least likely to 'accidentally' slip his hand up her skirt. They sat and waited for the 'drama to unfold'.

"_Dawn," _Mr. Trump started. "_Who raised the most money?"_

"_Regina did._" Belle felt so bad for Dawn.

"Oh, wee lamb." Mr. Gold whispered and Belle smirked.

"_And who raised the least?_" Dawn looked ready to pass out.

"_Gretchen."_ Dawn moved her legs and shifted in her seat.

"_Whose idea was it for the design?"_ Ruby raised her hand and she felt her heart sink. If this fell on Ruby's shoulders then she didn't know what she would do. "_Who should I fire, Dawn?"_ Dawn looked like she was about to scream or rip her hair out. Maybe both.

"_Well if we lost because of money than Gretchen,"_ Her eyes slid sideways, but her head stayed looking at Mr. Trump. "_If we lost because of design then Ruby."_ Belle gripped her glass tighter.

"_The CEO's said that they liked everything besides the fact that they didn't see their product alone, but that wasn't the reason you lost."_ Belle took a breath of relief. "_You lost because you didn't raise enough money. Dawn, select to people to come back with you and the rest of you go back to your suite._" Dawn fumbled a bit.

"_Gretchen and Ruby_." Belle felt the glass squeak in protest to her squeezes. He nodded.

"_Alright, Jefferson turn off your TV."_ Hatter flicked it off and someone was grabbing for her glass. She was broken out of her reverie. Mr. Gold had his hand on the rim of her glass. She took it out of his grasp.

"I'm fine." She didn't even believe herself.

"You may be, but that glass looks ready to shatter. And I don't want you to get cut up and taken to the hospital." She took a long sip and handed him the glass. The doors opened behind her and Team X – what wasn't being threatened with execution – walked into the suite and Belle stood up to see Mary Margaret. They hugged hoping their friend would make it out of there. And back to the suite.

**Like it I told you I was telling you who won, not who was being fired**


	4. Drinking

Belle and Mary Margaret sat next to each other holding champagne glasses each. They had each other's hand in a death squeeze. Everyone else around them was talking, but they couldn't seem to join in. Belle finished her glass and she stood up to get another one. She grabbed her third drink and went back to the couch. She grabbed Mary Margaret's hand again and sipped at her drink. As the time drew out she had more glasses. Her steps were wobbly and she cursed the heels she was wearing. She got up to get another one when a hand shot out and sat her back down. She squinted and looked around in her inebriated haze. Gold was standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders keeping her there.

"I think you've had enough." He said softly. She hummed in response neither a yes nor a no. Mary Margaret hardly ever drank and now she was passed out on Belle's side. She grumbled at the movement, but otherwise didn't move. Belle patted the open seat next to her.

"You look tired." She drawled out. He gave her a wary look before removing his hands from her shoulders and walked around to sit next to her. There was still a good gap between them. She hummed and shook her head. She scooted over making Mary Margaret tip over and hit her head on the cushion Belle previously occupied. Belle put her hand on his thigh and her eyes drooped lazily. "Can I have another drink?" He shook his head and she was too drunk to notice his tense muscles.

"No, Belle, dearie. You need no more drinks." He tried to remove her hand, but she whipped her head around from the scan of the room for a stray glass and tried to glare at him. It wasn't working and her stone face broke into giggles.

"Are you sure?" She hummed again. The hand on his cane had tightened and he took a deep breath. He looked around at everyone to try and get their attention, but they were all wrapped up in their own conversations. He looked back at her and she had somehow gotten even closer. Her side was pressed firmly against his and when she leaned in he had a clear view of her chest. He tried not to look. He really tried. She hummed again and the vibration resounded through him and he closed his eyes to keep from letting his imagination run wild.

"Belle?" She was tracing circles on his chest under his jacket. His grip continued to tighten on the head of his cane. He was afraid he would break it. She looked up at him and her other hand was slowly running the length of his thigh. A shiver passed through him and he tried to suppress it. He bit his tongue to smother the moan that wormed his way to his throat. "Don't you think you should head back to your room?" He tried to persuade her.

"Only if you're coming with me." She whispered in his ear and kissed the juncture between his ear and jaw. He heard a pop and was terrified it was something with his attire. He looked down and soon enough he felt the pain from his hand. He let go of the tight grip on his cane and let his fingers drum on the gold handle. She continued to trail circles on his chest. His breathing was ragged and it hitched when she began to trail kisses down his jaw line.

"Belle." He tried again, but was getting nowhere. She began to move and her leg slowly traveled across him, so that she had a knee on either side of his hips. He looked up at her. Somehow she managed to get the top few buttons of his blue silk shirt. The feeling of her warm skin on hers made his pants tighten. She smirked through her hair as she felt him through her skirt and his pants and slowly began to circle her hips on his. Her hand removed itself from his shirt and reached down to the hemline of her shirt. As she tried to pull it off of herself he reached forward and shoved it back down before he could see too much of her creamy alabaster skin. If he did he knew he wouldn't care if there were fifteen or fifteen hundred people in here he would have her as his own. She moaned and he wondered how this could have gone so far without anyone noticing. He held her hips where her skirt and her shirt met to keep her from anymore extravagant events of reveal. She lowered her face to his and their lips were inches from each other. He could feel her warm breath against his skin and he refrained from groaning. With his hands occupied she took the opportunity to grab his face and kiss him deeply. He could taste the alcohol on her breath and something else that was just Belle. His lips involuntarily responded to the action and his tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip. She moved to knot her fingers in his hair, but she was being removed before they could reach her target destination. A long limbed survivor wrapped her bare arms around Belle and pulled her back. Her red streaks were almost hidden behind Belle's thrashing. She must have seen something that caught her attention of her extractor, for she whipped around and wrapped her own arms around the friend.

"You survived." She smiled and Gold was breathing heavily leaning against the couch. Mary Margaret woke up and leaned off the couch cushion. He looked over at her in amazement.

"Where were you two minutes ago?" She stared at him bleary eyed and confused. Now everyone around him stared, dumbfounded.

"As much as I would have loved to have seen that continue you need to get out and let the man breath." Ruby grabbed Belle and held her steady as she stumbled with her friend. Mary Margaret yawned after them. He stared bewildered at the blank TV in front of him. The silence stretched on between Team Action.

"What the hell just happened?" David summed up the silence in five simple words. Gold stood up and hurried out of the suite. Belle was thrown on her bed and Ruby and Mary Margaret took off her shoes. Mary was still yawning and Ruby looked like a beehive. Belle had her eyes closed whilst she smirked.

"Belle?" Ruby walked over to her friend. Belle hummed and looked up at her friend.

"He's next door." All of them looked at the door conjoining the two rooms when they heard the front door shut to the adjacent room. As Belle moved to get up Ruby shoved her down by her shoulders.

"Mary, get her her pajamas." Ruby began to try and yank the shirt off of Belle. She giggled and in her daze grabbed for Ruby's clothes. Ruby smacked her hands away and when Belle sat in her pajamas on her bed they put her poet shirt on. They crawled onto the bed and lay down. Belle in the middle and Ruby and Mary Margaret on either side. There was silence. Belle almost fell asleep before Ruby spoke up. "So tell us what happened." Ruby looked down at her friend from her perch on her elbow. She snorted and groaned.

"We were taking our shots right?" She giggled and turned solemn. She cleared her throat. "Well we were pressed against each other, his hands on my exposed flesh and his scent filling my nose. Don Jr. came in and so I got nervous. You know how I hate hammocks and how motion sick I get." They both nodded in agreement. Ruby lapped at her story hungrily. "Well finally we got the shots and I had to get out and people were hitting the scaffolding holding up the hammock. I was ready to hurl. He let me go and grabbed his cane. He wanted me to use his cane." They both 'awed'. "No, no, no, not 'awe' he needs it more than me. Well I pushed it away from me and in doing so it swung around tossing me a few feet away – " She hiccupped. " – and he was sprawled on the floor. He then proceeded to blame _me._" She put a hand on her chest and hiccupped again.

"Oh how dare he." Ruby mocked.

"I know!" She sat up spreading her arms wide and they shoved her back down. "So how was your adven – " Again she hiccupped. " – ture?" Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Well about half way through there was a cat fight." Belle perked up in interest.

"Between who?" She hummed and hiccupped. Ruby's eyes darted between Mary and Belle. Mary blushed and hid behind Belle. Belle turned and hiccupped. She sat gaping at Mary. "Mary Margaret Eva Snow you fought someone?"

"No just a 'someone' it was a Regina 'someone'." Belle looked wide eyed at the girl.

"No." Mary nodded and her face was only getting redder. "What happened?" Belle lay back down on her back and looked between the two. Mary Margaret wasn't going to say.

"Well…." Ruby smirked. "After we finally got back to our suite Regina was giving the two of us nasty glares. She would hide it behind the fake smile, but it was blatantly obvious. As we were setting up the last touches Regina said something to Mary. I couldn't hear it, but Mary Margaret was shaken." They both looked at her hoping for further insight. They weren't getting any. They looked back at each other. "I walked over and told Regina nicely that I didn't appreciate her stirring up Mary Margaret's feathers. Well she was going to say something, but Mary Margaret cut in and after that all hell broke loose. There was hair flying, hissing, scratching, cursing. Swan had to take those two off of each other." Mary Margaret hummed disapprovingly. "To say the least it was very tense in that studio." Belle chuckled. For the next few hours they talked in the dark until they fell asleep. Sometime later Belle woke up on the floor with raging headache. The floor didn't make the situation better. She got up groggily and looked at her bed. Ruby and Mary were sprawled out over it. She walked over to the door adjoining her room to Mr. Gold's. She opened it seeing that the light was off from the small peep hole she looked through. She was only able to see a form on the bed and she assumed it was his. She walked over yawning and lay down at the foot of the bed. She grabbed some of the blankets he wasn't using and wrapped herself into it. The only indication he felt any difference was the groan at the loss of heat. Belle went back to sleep.

xXx

Feet molested her back as she was shoved to the floor. She opened her eyes in time to see it coming up to meet her face. She hurried to throw her hands out and in doing so she took the sheets with her. She squeaked on her way down and a yelp sounded from the other end of the bed. She was hidden in the blankets for the short while and listened as someone slowly crawled to the edge of the bed. She saw their shadow as they looked down. She scrunched herself tighter in the sheets. She watched as a hand reached down and pulled at the sheets. She pulled back trying to stay hidden from her embarrassment as long as she could. They gave a fierce tug and she was rolled out of the sheets and ended sprawled on her back. Mr. Gold stared down at her in confusion and bafflement. How did she get into Mr. Gold's room? She looked down and saw her poet shirt had ridden dangerously high during the tussle and she hurried to shove it down. He was still holding the sheets in one hand and the other on the edge of the bed. His quirked face hadn't changed. His jaw slightly unhinged in shock. His left eyebrow lifted in a silent acknowledgement of confusion. His gaze penetrated her making her feel naked. His hair tousled from sleep and sticking up here and there in spikes. His chest bare and his cotton pajama pants hanging low on his hips. She could see his muscles strain as they held him up. Belle felt a blush creep up to her face and she tried a sheepish smile. They sat staring at each other for a short while before the bed gave out under him and sent him to the ground. His face hit the carpet and he groaned. She stifled a laugh knowing it wasn't appropriate. He finally gathered himself and moved to put his legs off the edge of the bed and sitting where he was previously frozen. He rubbed at his face and threw the sheets down. He didn't seem to take into mind that from where his hip bones protruded and up he was bare. The faint lines of his muscles ripped as his hands rubbed his face. He peeked over the top of his finger tips and stared at her. She stared at him silently still scared to move, for it might cause further embarrassment.

"What are you doing on my bed?" Out of all the questions he could ask.

"Well," She cleared her throat to keep from running away from his quizzical gaze. "Last night Ruby, Mary Margaret, and I talked ourselves to sleep. Sometime in the night I wound up on the floor and came in here to sleep?" She tried to sound sure, but it came out a question. "I faintly remember walking out of my room." He continued to stare at her and she decided to sit up. Her own hair, she could feel, was probably looking like its seen better days. She bunched her legs up underneath her remembering her own night attire.

"My bed?" He asked skeptical. She nodded.

"I also kind of want to apologize." She rubbed the back of her neck and avoided his eyes. He scoffed.

"I wonder what ever for?" He said sardonically.

"For last night and just now." She looked at him and she could feel the heat in her face flourishing. He looked taken aback.

"Well – I – " He cleared his throat. "I accept your apology." It was his turn to avoid her gaze. She smirked and tried to lighten the mood.

"For what occasion?" He looked at her smirking.

"Both I guess." He stood up and held out his hand. She stared at it for a long time before looking at him. "Do you need help?" She made an 'o' with her mouth and nodded shyly. She grabbed his hand and she could see him distribute his weight to his uninjured leg. He lifted her up easily and it put them inches from each other. She went to put her hands out to steady her, but his bare chest was in the way, so she shoved her hands back afraid to touch him as she breathed in his scent. He looked down and finally noticed he hadn't had a shirt on. "Oh." He let her get steady before letting her go and searching for a shirt. She stood frozen where she was with her hands close to her face and bent at the elbows. He grabbed a T-shirt and it didn't do much to conceal his well cut chest. He grabbed his cane and looked in less pain.

"Hmph." She commented. He looked at her.

"What?" He looked uneasy now which made her relax and tug unconsciously at the hem of her shirt.

"I always pegged you as a man who slept in silk." She shifted her feet.

"It chafes." He blanched and she couldn't resist the chortle. She stopped and shifted her feet again.

"Well, I'll just go see if those two have vacated my room so…." She motioned a thumb over her shoulder and looked at the ground. He nodded and she hurried to the door the joined the two rooms. She turned around last minute. "Thank you for letting me sleep on your bed." She hoped she sounded confident before she slipped back into her room. Ruby and Mary were still knocked out on her bed. Her sheets were on the floor and she was pretty sure Ruby was drooling. "Oh come on guys! That's my bed!" They hardly stirred. Belle could hear Mr. Gold laughing on the other side of the wall. "Glad you find this funny!" She called over and walked over to her bed. She grabbed the fitted and lifted it up sending the two girls flying. They protested as they rolled to the floor.

"You're nails are in my hair."

"Get the knee out of the boob."

"Stop pulling."

"You're going to rip my shirt." The bickered and squabbled as Belle tried to get her bed back in some state of order. Finally they detangled themselves from each other and stood up. Ruby jumped on the bed again. "So where did _you_ sleep?" She asked with a devious smile.

"On the roof, now go on we have to go get ready for the next challenge. I bet I'm already late." Ruby looked at the clock and groaned.

"It's 7:45. Belle!" Ruby moaned and buried her face in the bed. "It's too damn early for anything except sleeping." She grumbled into the pillow and Belle grabbed it and hit her friend.

"Sleep in your own bed." She watched as Mary Margaret was easier going of the two and heading back to her room. Ruby grumbled and threw the other pillow on the bed at Belle.

"But yours is right here. Waiting for use." She pretended to fall back asleep. Belle hit her again until she got up. "Fine, fine, fine, but I expect some news details on your relationship with Mr. Gold." Ruby pointed a finger at Belle as she left the room.

"I do not have a relationship with Mr. Gold." She whispered not wanting to alert anyone, but all Ruby did was shut the door. Belle groaned and fixed her bed yet again. This was going to be a long day.


	5. Ice Cream

Belle walked out of her room half an hour later and headed down the deserted hallway. She pressed the button to the elevator and waited for it to arrive at her floor. She tapped her foot. She was wondering what the next challenge would be. She hoped it was something she could accomplish. She wanted to take the next one, but she was also apprehensive to. Finally it dinged open and she plunged into the metallic room. She hummed as she tried to remember what floor she was supposed to meet on. She got a message on her door and she wondered if it was another one of the Trump's schemes to have someone slip up on purpose. Finally it came to her and she pressed the number. The elevator arrived a few minutes later. She looked around at the vast mass of hallways and decided she would create a list of the things she thought the Trumps' came up with for their own sadistic pleasure. She heard voices somewhere and to her left there was a large door. She tentatively walked over and could distinguish Hatter's mad laughter. She opened the door and they all looked at her. From her team there was Gold, David, Hatter, and Leroy. From the opposite team were Regina, Dawn, and Mary Margaret. No surprise Mary was standing auspiciously close to David and farthest from Regina. Belle walked over hiding her blush as everyone eventually looked away from her. She stood between Hatter and Gold. They were in the middle of a story and Belle listened as it came to a close. A tear rolled down the right side of Hatter's face, but it was a tear of joy. Although it wasn't addressed she could feel the unasked question in the air.

_What happened last night?_

She ignored it of course and from the grim look on Gold's face he was blatantly oblivious to the tension.

"So Hatter, when are you setting out to inform your daughter of your fantastic win." She hoped no one had asked, for she wasn't here to hear the answer.

"I'm leaving later today after our shift is over. Luckily she lives in Maine with one of the best practitioners there are, so it's not a long flight." She smiled.

"Congratulations again on your win." She said earnestly.

"You were a big help too. You can't give me all the credit." She smirked.

"Yea I guess you're right. Without me you would have lost." She said with humor and there were laughs and chuckles from all around. As the conversation rolled on people began to swarm into the room. After awhile everyone had gone quiet waiting for Mr. Trump to speak. He stood in the middle of two women. One was rather tall with deep brown hair that hung in curls around her face. Her green suit complimented well with her eyes. The other was shorter than the two and rail thin. She looked like if the breeze picked up she would be blown away.

"I scream, you scream, we all scream," He paused searching the faces of the players.

"_For ice cream." _Belle whispered under her breath and Mr. Trump repeated it louder.

"For ice cream." He smirked and everyone listened intrigued. "Since 1985 Dove Candies has been making ice cream and candy for all to enjoy. In 1985 Dove Ice Cream was sold nationally and bought by Mars Inc. Today I have with me Anastasia Printsessa head of operating from Mars Inc. and Ella Ash from the main processing plant in Chicago." They both smiled. Mr. Trump pointed first to Anastasia the brunette then Ella the rail thin blonde. Anastasia stepped forward.

"Thank you Mr. Trump," Belle picked her accent as Russian. "Dove has been looking for the perfect new spin on ice cream. We are asking you to create and advertise a new ice cream. The winner's ice cream will be sold in stores nationwide and the winner will receive 50,000 dollars for their charity." There were murmurs all around. She stepped back and let Ella take the stage.

"You will be judged in the following categories," Belle had her pen ready, so she could write it down and not forget. "Creativity, taste, brand messaging, and presentation." Her voice was soft and it was shrouded by her flowing blonde hair. She stepped back and they all looked at Mr. Trump.

"Now teams, choose your project manager." They gathered in a tight circle to discuss.

"I would like to take this one." Mr. Gold flicked his eyes around lingering on Belle's and no one had suggested otherwise it was to be. They all turned around and there was the sound of shoes squeaking on the hard wood. Belle watched as the other team decided. Finally they separated and waited. "Team X your manager."

"That would be me." Emma stepped forward confidently. Mr. Trump nodded and looked at team Action.

"Team Action." He waited, crossing his hands in front of him.

"Mr. Gold." Belle spoke up. They all looked at her for a short moment before back at Mr. Trump.

"Alright, now that that's settled there is a car down stairs waiting to take you to your labs." Belle felt giddy. Labs, she didn't know what that meant, but she assumed it was going to be fun. As everyone shuffled out of the room and they waited as people took turns in the elevator to go down. Ruby, Hatter, Mary, David, Hans, Leroy, and Regina crammed into the second to last elevator ride. Ruby waved her hand into the crowded room to get Belle to go with them, but one look at the tight space and how many bodies that was already in there she shook her head.

"No, I'll wait." She felt her chest tighten at the thought of being stuck in there and leaving Mr. Gold alone. She bet her was used to it, but she never let anybody go alone unless they absolutely demanded it. Ruby waited a little bit then shrugged her shoulders and let the doors closed.

"You didn't have to do that." He stated from behind her. She turned around slowly.

"Truth is I'm claustrophobic." She shrugged and smirked.

"Oh so this had nothing to do with me?" She held up her fingers and put her thumb and index finger an inch from each other as indication.

"Maybe a little bit." He gave a small smirk. His face went emotionless again. She looked at him. "What made you do this Mr. Gold because you aren't the….team player sort of person?" He took a deep breath through his nose, but didn't exhale. She felt bad, but wouldn't take the question back. When she thought he wouldn't reply he let the air out of his lungs.

"I did it for Bae. He always wanted to grow up to be on TV, and with my profession most of why _I'm_ on TV is negative." She felt tears prick her eyes, hot and needy. The begged to spill, but she kept them at bay. She couldn't resist it any longer and she through her arms around him.

"I told you you weren't a monster." She whispered into his ear. After a second he wrapped his free arm around her back. "I've wanted to do this since I first found out about Bae." He choked a bit. They pulled away and they looked at each other.

"Why are you so nice to me?" He leaned in close to her face, but not so close that it was evasive.

"Because I doubt a lot of people have been to you. I don't think it's fair." He slotted his eyes.

"Life isn't fair." She pursed her lips. She couldn't help but notice his eyes flicked down for a second and in that second there was pure longing in his eyes. He looked back at her eyes.

"Good thing I'm not life." She stated before closing the distance and grabbing the back of his head and bringing his lips to meet hers. His lips molded to hers and moved as hers did. She hummed and he absorbed the sound as it shook through his body. He wrapped his free hand around her waist and pulled her close to him. Her hands traveled up the side of his face and tangled themselves in his hair. He groaned and she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and consume his groan. She shivered in delight as his tongue gently prodded at the entrance of her mouth and her own darted out to meet his. She felt him shake with restraint. He let his cane fall to the ground. It landed with a soft clatter on the carpeted floor. He shifted his weight onto his good ankle and wrapped his arms around her. One splayed out between her shoulder blades the other holding her lower back and keeping her still against him. She gasped at the feeling of his hands on her bare back. The cut on the shirt was low and showed a good portion, but the weather was supposed to be nice and she didn't want to pass out from heat. They broke away long enough to catch their breath before descending into one another again. Wrapped in each other's embrace they forgot how long they were standing there. They also forgot why they were there. Hardly responding to anything around them they didn't hear the elevator, nor did they hear the footsteps getting closer. What they did hear was the sound of a male voice,

"Wow, I'll remember not to leave you two alone together. We have a task to finish. Quit acting like a couple of teenagers and let's go." Hatter didn't have a hint of disdain in his voice. Only annoyance. Belle and Gold took shallow breaths trying to get air into their lungs. They stared at each other in silence for a while before their breathing slowed. His eyes were clouded with lust and she didn't doubt hers were as well.

"Have you wanted to do that since you found out about Bae, as well?" He asked, still a little breathless.

"No," She stated and they slowly disentangled from each other. "I've wanted to do that since the first time I met you." He made a sound deep in his throat and had Hatter not been there she would probably have been pinned against the wall. She removed from all contact from him and reached down to hand him his cane. He took it graciously and leaned on it heavily. Hatter cleared his throat and both Belle and Gold rolled their eyes.

"Yes, how dare I want to get this show going, so we can get started on our project. We still have traffic to get through." Now he was just whining. Belle put a stray piece of hair behind her hair before turning around and walking away. She heard him follow close behind. As they got into the elevator Hatter got between them and shook his head. "Bunch of teenagers." He mumbled as the doors closed.

xXx

The lab, as Belle had previously wondered about, was huge. It had fridges and a few tables and counters lining each wall. On one side there was an odd contraption that whirred and hummed with life. Belle walked over curiously and looked at the knobs. Each team was dignified their own Mix Wizard. It made Belle smile at least. Then again it could have been that she was thinking back to earlier in the hallway. The whole room was sparkling white and they all wore white lab coats. It was one size fits all, but Belle felt like she was drowning and David looked hysterical. It was cold in the room, but Belle hardly felt it. She was still warm from earlier. They all sat around the table, Belle and Gold on separate sides of the table thanks to Hatter, trying to decide the flavor they should try.

"Let's make this easy, what's your favorite flavor?" David asked and Killian snorted.

"I don't think they have haggis flavor." The Irish rolled his eyes and the Scotsman looked over at him with a glare. Despite the retort Gold bit his tongue. He couldn't necessarily say Belle because now she was his new favorite flavor.

"Duly noted." Gold finally snapped. He looked back at the rest of the team. He began to think. He wasn't one for sweets, but when he did…..He looked at the Mix Wizard whose name eluded him. "Do you have nougat?" He asked and he thought about it for a moment.

"What were you thinking?" _Ice cream_. He bit his tongue.

"Milky Way." The Wizard snapped his fingers.

"I got just the thing for ya, hang on." He wasn't planning on going anywhere. Belle was watching the Wizard as he mixed the flavors she could smell the machine breaking down all of the ingredients and her mouth watered. After a minute or so the Wizard came back with samples for everybody. "This is milk chocolate ice cream with caramel and fluffy marshmallows. I didn't have nougat." Gold sniffed, but too the cup. They each tried it and Belle was the first to announce its praise.

"I'll take a truck load, please." She stuck the spoon in her mouth and tried to get every last bit off of it. Gold agreed. Belle slowly dragged the spoon on her tongue out of her mouth looking nowhere in particular and Gold felt himself grow hard instantly and shifted in his seat.

"So this flavor." Everyone, even Killian agreed. "Alright now a name." Leroy announced.

"Can we just call this heaven?" Belle sighed and the Wizard gave her some more. She smiled thanking him.

"Sorry Belle that might not work." Hans said. "We could try Chocolate Caramallow." They let it sink in.

"Lady and gentlemen the writer of the team." Everyone laughed as Hatter wrote down the name. "Alright one more."

"How about cinnamon? Maybe cinnamon and chocolate." The Wizard nodded and disappeared for a moment as Belle mulled over her selection. She liked cinnamon in her hot chocolate, so maybe it would be a good ice cream. When he came back another small sample for everyone. Belle took a bite and had to admit this was the best project yet. Free food and great company, for the most part. "So what's the vote?" Belle prodded. She licked her lips to get the lasting taste off from the ice cream. Gold was having a hard time staying in control. It was cold in the room. He hoped it was a good enough excuse. He leaned forward. "A yes or a no?" She finished. They all looked at her nodding. She looked around for anyone with a name.

"How's Spicy Cocoa?" Graham suggested.

"That sounds like a stripper name." Killian scoffed. Graham looked over at the Irishman. He didn't seem bothered by the glare he was being given.

"Some like it hot." Belle finished off the last of her sample with a tinge of sadness. "Like the song. And it's cinnamon. Some like it hot." She suggested again. Killian chuckled.

"Hell, I like it." Gold looked at him.

"And that makes it a winner." He looked at Belle. "Despite my comment I think it could work." Killian leaned over to Leroy next to him and whispered something. Leroy whispered back and they both laughed. Belle smiled when she was handed another sample. This day just kept getting better and better. First her make out session in the hall then all of this ice cream. She could get used to this.

**Alright so I want to clarify something the cameras roll with the group so if someone is alone then they wont stay back so there was no camera with the hallway scene but there was one with the penthouse scene. This was just bugging me. I fixed it see it's longer basically if I feel bad I make them great chappys. Hope you enjoyed.**


	6. Dawn

**A/N WOOO the guy I liked won yes yes yes in honor I might give you some lemons (hehe **_**might**_** and it sounds odd normal people would hear this and **_**not **_**want lemons) Alright just wanted to say that thank you for the favs/follows/reviews my charity is flourishing thank you remember tell me in the reviews who you want to win/ideas for projects/ who you want the boot/ or anything really if you have an idea at all I don't mind you can tell me I won't bite…hard**

Belle shot up in bed, panting. Her hair was wild and unkempt and she looked around guiltily. How could her dream get away from her like that? She threw off the covers noticing the moisture between her legs. She took a deep breath. She tried to get up, but her legs were weak from remembering the dream. She sat back down and laid back. She panted again hoarsely as images ran through her mind. The heat was spreading throughout her body and she arched up to try and dispel it. It wasn't working. She tried again to get up, this time using the bed as a support. She managed to get to the glass door and she opened it. Cold air washed over her suppressing her desire. It was hard when he was in the next room.

Gold shifted fitfully as the feather light touches ranged over his body. He shoved off the sheets hoping that would compel it to go away. It only urged more. He was painfully hard and the cause was the damned woman next door. He gasped and stifled a moan. Her creamy skin pressed against his was more than he could handle. With just the figment there to torment him he could indulge in the fantasy. As much as he wanted the real woman here underneath him, that was almost illogical. No one had wanted him in a long time. Gold woke up with a start. Without the sheets to keep him warm he had gooseflesh and his nipples were hard. Then again that could have been from the dream. He rested on his hands as he leaned on the bed. He groaned at the throbbing in his pants. He swung his legs off the edge of the bed and managed to get to the balcony outside his room. As he stepped out into the cold New York air he took a deep breath. The air was muggy even for being cold and he could feel frost forming on his skin. He saw something out of the corner of his eye as he leaned over the edge of the rail. Elbows freezing at the contact and muscles tensing to absorb the frigidity. He looked over to his right and saw her. He took in a breath with through his teeth, trying to be silent. She was sitting in one of the chairs and looking over the horizon. Her hair covered half of her face making it impossible for her to see him. It would wisp here and there from the slight breeze making him shiver slightly. His toes were going numb, but he didn't care. His eyes traveled down to her tucked body. She had her feet pulled up to her chest and feet hanging off the rim of the chair. He could just see the outline of her lacey blue underwear in the dawn light. He forgot he stopped breathing and expelled his breath. Her arms were wrapped around her knees hugging them to her chest. He came out to cool off and in reality got heated up.

"Couldn't sleep?" She scared him by the acknowledgement. He stumbled for a moment, composing himself.

"Yeah." He looked away afraid he would do something he would regret. The silence stretched on. Both staring off into the horizon seeing the dark before the dawn. It was as if the world was holding its breath to see if the sun would return to make its daily voyage over the sky. The black, but not black, the purple, but not purple, the blue, but not blue, they all joined together to make the symphony that would soon be a rosy dawn. If he squinted he could see the beginning of daybreak.

"Some people don't like mornings." He didn't say anything waiting for her to continue. "I happen to not be one of them." She didn't look over once. "Mornings are new beginnings. The time for a difference. A sign that says we survived." He looked over at her wondering what caused this sudden burst of confession. "It's wasn't the morning that murdered my father." His breath caught in his throat. He knew he died, but he never knew he was murdered. "It was the night. It cloaked the robber, wrapping him in a shield of invisibility and invincibility. There was nothing my father could do. He did everything he could. He gave him all that he asked for, and still wound up dead in an alley way. My mother was lucky to escape. Pretending like she was a stranger he let her go." He could hear her voice crack and make out the tears that fell onto the chair from her sapphire blue eyes. The lakes of blue that were once damned up flooded down her face in a river to freedom. "For a long time I hated the night. I hated how it could hold so much hate, but still be so beautiful. It was a poisoned apple and sometimes people give into temptation and take a bite. I was seven when he died." Finally she looked over and her eyes were red and he found himself walking inside. He didn't even to bother to shut his door or grab his cane. Complete anger powered his body. He walked through the door conjoining their rooms and finished his way to her side. He stood there and she stared up at him. She stopped crying, but they looked ready to spill any moment. He reached down and held out his hand. She stared at it before putting her own in his. He pulled up and wrapped her in his arms. Only then did she begin to cry again. He held her whilst she let up her pent up anger out. His shoulder was wet and he could feel her tears getting absorbed into his pajama bottoms.

"You didn't have to tell me." He whispered into her ear after she had calmed down and began hiccupping.

"You told me about your son. I thought it was only fair to tell you about my father." She hiccupped and broke away. Her eyes were shining from the tears, her hair matted on her head and sticking up at odd angles, her shirt splotched here and there with wet spots from crying, and her lip was quivering. He never thought she looked more beautiful. He removed his right hand from her waist and held it to her cheek. She leaned into his touch closing her eyes. He nearly cringed at the action. How could someone like her want him? He was a beast.

"If I would have known it would have caused you so much pain I wouldn't have listened." She gave a soft, heartbreaking smile.

"What's done is done." She closed her eyes and looked diagonally down away from his touch. He knew it was too good to be true. He curled his fingers into a fist and put it to his side. He removed himself from all of her and took a step back. He resisted the urge to shiver in the breaking dawn. She looked up at his face biting her bottom lip. Her eyes said she had a question, but she seemed hesitant to ask it.

"Since you've already said one confession this morning, you might as well ask what it is that is on your mind." She took a step forward and he resisted a step back. He looked down at her with his hands out behind him. She looked up at him with fond full moon eyes and he took a careful breath.

"Can I kiss you?" He took it like a blow to the chest. He stumbled slightly and he tried to gain his breath.

"Why would you do that?" He used the glass door as support from her curious words.

"Because I feel like I should ask you this time. I didn't before and felt somewhat rude." She shifted her feet, but kept her gaze on him. He was appalled. She thought she was rude when she sent him on a downward spiral. She thought she was rude when afterwards he would stumble, without her noticing, and see stars. She thought she was rude because she was perfect.

"I – I guess that could, um – since you asked so nicely." He stumbled over the words. She gave a smile that out shone the sun. She stepped forward slowly and the glass door kept him from running. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy kissing her – no that was far from it – he was scared she would trick him. Before he could think too much about it her lips were on his in a soft whisper. He slowly closed his eyes with the last scene being the sunrise. The light reflecting off of her perfect, auburn curls making them shine like honey. Her face shadowed slightly from the angle of the sun making her cobalt eyes sparkle in the early morning dawn. He cautiously lifted his hands to cradle her head. She sighed into his mouth and he opened his slightly to consume the sound. Her hands trailed his sides and eventually wrapped around his neck. A shiver passed through him, but it wasn't from the cold. Instead warmth filled him like it would a tub; sometimes sloshing on the sides, making him warmer there, then retreating to continue its trek through his body, his veins, his muscles, until completely filling him. She was the first to break away and he was worried he had done something wrong, but as he opened his eyes seeing her swollen lips, tousled hair, and her still closed eyes all doubts left him. He stood feeling weak in the knees against the glass, staring at her, for a long time before she opened her eyes again. Her eyes were sparkling just as they were before, but there was something behind them that he hadn't seen any woman give him in a long time. She reached her hands up and slithered her fingers in his hair. He bit back the groan that lodged itself in his throat. He swallowed the noise and waited for her to speak. Instead she closed what little distance there was and laid her head on his collar bone. He took a sharp breath and almost forgot to exhale.

"I wonder if I would have ever met you if not for this game." He could feel her lips move against his skin and a shiver passed through his body imagining what else those lips could do on his skin. He tried to act nonchalant, but his voice cracked half way through,

"Depends, do you have a tendency to get yourself in trouble?" She looked up at him with a mischievous smile. He felt his breath hitch in his throat. This woman was killing him. And he could do nothing about it. She pressed her chest to his and bit her bottom lip.

"Well that depends," Her voice was breathy and it was doing weird things to his insides. He wasn't one to act like a teenage boy with this kind of stuff, but Belle had that effect on him. "Who's my lawyer?" He was hardening fast and his mind raced with the dream that had brought him out here to begin with. He closed his eyes to keep his urges at bay. "And how is he getting paid?" Her lips were so close to his, he could feel them move as she moved them to enunciate the words. He still hadn't opened his eyes. She gave him a soft kiss on his chin. The only response was his hold on her waist increased. She hummed and her fingers teased his hair. They pulled gently on his scalp and her fingers brushed the cold glass of the sliding door. It was getting harder for him to not throw her on the small lounge chair that was out there and fuck her brains out. She probably wouldn't appreciate the display for the neighbors. He gulped,

"Well if you plan on ripping off a billion dollar company," The image of Belle in tight leather sneaking into a secure office flooded his mind and he cinched his eyes even tighter. "You can always count on me to be there." She began to slowly pepper his jaw line in soft kisses. "And normally, I'll be paid in cash, but for you I think I might make an exception." She chuckled against his slight stubble.

"Well," Her breath tickles his skin and gives him gooseflesh all along his arms. "I'm thinking you're going to have to elaborate on that," Her tongue flicked out as her mouth lowered to his neck. "_Payment."_ Did she just give him permission? Were those words uttered from her mouth? She lifted her mouth from his neck and he shivered from the loss of heat. He snapped his eyes open and stared at her. His eyes reflected hers and he could see the lust dominating her sapphire pools, turning them murky, like a stormy sea. He guessed that there was a storm raging in her.

"Well that's something best shown." His accent was thick as he grabbed her face and pulled it to meet his. Their lips battled for dominance as his legs moved properly again and carried them through her open door. The warm air clashed with his cool body and he broke away long enough to shut the door. He barely managed to get it shut all the way before she flipped him around and began to ravish his lips with her own. Her hands shot down to fondle with the waist band of his pants. He heard her sigh as he crushed her against his body. He managed to take the necessary steps to her bed and she fell back when the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed. He didn't follow her, giving her time to reject him. Instead her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room and eyed him up and down. He took ragged breaths, his chest heaving with each intake of air. She bit her bottom lip again as her eyes mapped out the length of his body. He felt like hiding. The intense gaze she was giving him was making him nervous. He moved to take a step back, but she must have seen the unease in his face, for she wrapped her legs around his waist and leaned up. He watched her as he hands reach down to grasp the sides of her shirt. They began to lift it off and toss it aside. The sight of her naked before him let him speechless. He thought that seeing her in tight skirts and blouses was unbearable, he barely had enough self control to keep him standing and not taking advantage of Belle. She looked up at him with pure innocence despite their act. "Do you really want to do this?" She nodded kissing his chest. She slowly pulled him down and scooted back to make room for the two of them. She kissed him reassuringly. As she broke away he dared to ask, "What will the other's think?" She kissed him again this time more urgently and he could feel her heat through his pants. He shook with restraint. "We have to be at the studio at eight."

"Gold – " She started to kiss him, but he was a nervous wreck.

"What if I disappoint you?"

"Gold I – "

"I haven't done this in – "

"Gold – "

"I'm twice – "

"Roland." That silenced him. The sound of his name on her lips was like a caress. It soothed away his worries and her eyes assured him nothing could go wrong. Her hands ran smoothly down his bare back and he arched ever so slightly into her touch.

"Alright," He said a little breathlessly. "I've run out of excuses."

"Finally." She whispered and pulled him down on top of her. He braced his fall with his hands out and kissed her. Her breast skimmed across his bare chest and a shiver shook down his spine. He moved so that their legs weren't hanging off the side of the bed. She gasped as he pressed himself closer to her. Before he had time to pull back she brought his face down and kissed him deeply again. The noise in the back of his throat was caught between pain and pleasure. He nipped at her lower lip and she opened her mouth wider for him. He darted his tongue forward and searched every crevice of her mouth that elicited those moans that drove him crazy. Her hands reached down, tired of the barrier, wrangling with his pajama bottoms. She reached one hand around to grab his ass. He gasped and unconsciously thrust against her. She moaned despite the fact that she still hadn't taken his pants off. He felt hot and needy against her skin and she shook with ecstasy. He removed his mouth from hers and began to trail sloppy kisses against her jaw line. She slowly arched into his touch until her back was off of the bed. A sharp chill made her shiver. She quivered with need and thrust her hands down, managing to remove his pants. He winced as he put pressure on his ankle to help her get the pants off. She looked at him with dark eyes and after noticing his pained expression she ran her hands up and down his sides. Her fingernails leaving small crescent shaped divots in his skin every few marks. She gave him soft kisses. "If this position hurts you," She leaned up to whisper in his ear. "I know many more that can be equally pleasing." She kissed the shell of his ear and his eyes snapped open.

"Gods, Belle." He panted and as she leaned back he looked at her. She stared him in the eye with just the same amount of confidence as if he asked her how well the flowers complemented the room. Her eyes were dilated as they took all of him in. They trailed down his body lingering at his now hard member and letting a slow breath out. She looked him back in the eye. He shifted his weight as the pain became too unbearable. Her hands grabbed his shoulders softly and gave him a look.

"Trust me." She whispered and he nodded. Soft light filtered in through the shades and made her skin glow. She softly rolled him over so he was on the bottom and she poised herself over him. His hands reached up to trace invisible lines on her skin. He felt her shiver and the equivalent of a whimper escaped his lips. She leaned down and captured his lips in hers and their tongues fought for dominance. After her hand trailed dangerously close to his erection. He gasped and she slowly lowered herself. She taunted him as she lifted then lowered herself onto him. He felt like putty in her hands. He closed his eyes hoping his pain would encourage her to finally lower herself completely. He reached his hands up to grab her waist. His thumbs made smooth circles on her hips. One of his hands slid over her creamy skin and teased her opening with one of his fingers. She shuddered and rests her hands on his chest. She repaid him by laying wet kisses everywhere on his torso. She would occasionally lay soft nips and grazes of her teeth along with the kisses. Each time she did he would tighten his grip on her waist until he was worried she would be bruised. He felt an odd swell of guilt and pride in this. Whilst she was focused on kissing his chest he slowly moved to sheath himself in her. She cried out at the sudden contact and dug her nails deeper into his chest. He nearly growled and had to remember that he would not lose control. He would not act like teenage boy, but this was Belle. He felt his heart swell at her name. She finally gave in and slowly rocked against him. He gasped calling out her name.

"Belle!" He whispered harshly. His body was tense and he panted to try and catch his breath. His hands trailed up her waist to her breasts and took each on in hand. He flicked his thumbs over both nipples and she groaned. He gently ran his fingers all over the exposed flesh there and she twitched, ruining the steady rhythm she had kept. She stopped taking in deep breaths as he reached up and took a breast in his mouth. He swirled his tongue around the, now hard, nipple. He let his hand slide down her side and around to her lower back. It followed the curve of her ass before grabbing it with a rough squeeze and she quivered with a moan. Her hand came up to push his head slightly in the direction of the other breast. In his lust induced haze he had forgotten to lavish both of them. He removed his head from one breast and moved to the other. He grazed his teeth across the perky nipple and felt it harden under his tongue. He gently rolled it between his teeth and she cried out, louder this time. He removed his hand from her ass and as he removed himself from her he replaced it with his fingers. His fingers curled slightly and she thrust down to try and relinquish the feeling building up inside her. He removed his head from her breast and looked up at her. Her eyes burned into his and he felt the need to be inside her like land to a drowning man. Her eyes were sparkling with lust and he saw his reflected darkly in her cobalt seas.

"Roland," She panted. "Please." He decided against her pleas. He slowly began to thrust his fingers in her. Taking long movements before he was back inside her. She threw her head back and grabbed his bent legs, at the thigh. Her nails dug into the skin and mewls escaped her lips as she closed her eyes. He resisted the urge to remove his fingers and feel her around him. He twitched beneath her as she ground her hips against his fingers. He groaned and hit his head softly against the bed. Finally he removed his fingers and she didn't hesitate in filling herself with him. She shivered in delight and he raised his fingers to his mouth sucking off her juices. She opened her eyes at the sounds and shot down to give him a passionate kiss. She swirled her tongue around in his mouth tasting the ambrosia mixture of him and her. Her thrusts quickened and he felt her walls clench around him as she broke away screaming his name. "Roland!"

Ruby woke up with a start to the scream. She looked around at the dawn light. _What was that?_ She threw the blankets off and heard other people rushing to their doors. Regina, Snow, Charming, Graham, and Hatter popped their heads out the door.

"Is someone getting murdered? Should we help?" Snow asked looking innocent. Hatter shook his head with a knowing smile.

"No, that didn't sound like a 'help me' scream. That sounded like an orgasm scream." His smile turned crooked as they all looked at him.

"What?" They all asked in sync. Regina looked down the hall and her face twisted. Emma padded through her door and looked at the crew.

"Listen to Hatter. I've heard murder screams," She shook her head pointing down the hall. "And that wasn't one." Ruby noticed Regina staring intently at Emma, but didn't say anything about it as the blonde returned the favor. Ruby focused down the hall and tilted her head to Snow. They both looked in puzzlement. It took them a few mouthed words before both of their faces went pale. They returned to their respected rooms and tried to get the last few hours of sleep.

"Shh," Roland said quietly. Not that he didn't love that sound, he was worried they would wake everyone else. He ran a hand along her side as she took deep breaths. They both were riding out their high. She was limp on his chest and the feeling of her against him overwhelmed his senses. "Wouldn't want to alarm the neighbors, dearie." He steadied his breathing. She gave a soft chuckle and regained some of her muscle movement back. She lifted herself off of his chest and looked down at him with a slight smile.

"To hell with them." She kissed him languidly and he gasped against her lips. His fingers played absently with her hair and they moved to sit at the head of the bed. They landed on the pillows and he wrapped his arms around her. Their bodies were slick with precipitation and each of them were weak from the experience. She softly kissed his jaw. He grabbed the sheet and draped it around them, his finger drawing lazy circles on her lower back. Her hands were splayed against his chest and they would move occasionally as she would continue kissing him. Finally her lips met his and he closed his eyes as she softly prodded his lips with her tongue. He brought a hand up to hold her face and the kiss deepened. Her legs entangled intimately between his, trying to get closer to him. They broke away for air, but they put their foreheads together to stay close. She smiled blissfully. "I told you you didn't need those excuses." She kissed the tip of his nose. He scoffed slightly.

"It's only because you're so wonderful." His eyes flicked to her lips. She kissed the corner of his mouth.

"So are you." She whispered and he could feel her breath on his skin. He shivers and wishes he could never leave. But he could feel the heat from the sun rays beating on his face. He held her close and made sure nothing could pry her from him. He really did begin to wonder, if they would have ever met had it not been for this?

**Okay so I caved and did give you some lemons hehe I am SOOOO SOOO SOO SORRy I have been moving and have been packed (he he puns) so I haven't had ANY time to write but to make it up I give you this thank you for reading remember no fave or follows without a review my charity is in need.**


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